Regrets and Remorse
by IReallyLoveSantana
Summary: Beca finally confesses her darkest secret to Chloe, and then realizes that she can't avoid it anymore. So with her girlfriend's help, she attempts to right her biggest regret.
1. Chapter 1

"I just don't understand why I can't meet your mom. I've met your dad a bunch of times and even your stepmom-"

"Step_monster_."

"Yeah, sorry, whatever. Why can't I go with you to meet your mom?" Chloe asked, vying to catch Beca's attention as she continued to throw clothes into a duffel bag. The tiny brunette grunted an undecipherable response and crossed the room to grab her laptop and untangle it from all the wires on her desk. Eyebrows scrunching together in annoyance, Chloe positioned herself in front of her girlfriend's duffel bag and crossed her arms.

"Why. Can't. I. Meet. Your. Mom?" The redhead asked again, tilting her head to the side and searching Beca's face for answers. The shorter girl avoided her gaze and sighed in annoyance. A silence rested between the couple for the next couple seconds until finally, Chloe stepped aside.

"Does she not know you have a girlfriend? Or am I just not the type of girl you feel comfortable bringing home to meet her-"

"Chloe, it's not you! For Christ's sake, it isn't all about you for once." Beca snapped, shoving her laptop in the bag and zipping it. The redhead flinched at the sharpness in her girlfriend's voice, and a hurt expression took over her features. She heard Beca swear under her breath and turned around to face the window.

"I'm sorry. That was completely uncalled for. I'm really sorry Chlo." She apologized quickly, setting her bag down on the floor and walking up behind her girlfriend. She felt the taller girl tense at her touch and knew she had fucked up again.

"Then what's it about?" Chloe murmured, blinking away the tears that had started to form in her piercing eyes.

"My sister." Beca's reply was nearly inaudible, and the redhead wasn't quite sure that she had heard her right. Turning around, she stared at the shorter girl in confusion.

"You've never said anything about a sister."

"I know. It's because she hates me. And she has a right to." Beca admitted quietly. The fact that she was refusing to meet Chloe's gaze told the taller girl that Beca didn't bring up this little detail too often.

"Why would she hate you?" Chloe asked gently, taking Beca's arm and leading her over to the bed. She sat her girlfriend down and then looked at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"I can't tell you that. I'm sorry, but I can't. Not yet." Beca's voice cracked and she shook her head. Her dark eyes shot towards the floor again and Chloe frowned. She had never seen her girlfriend like this about anything before. Not when they talked about her parents' divorce, or her stepmother, or her dick of an ex-boyfriend from high school. Never.

"Look, I've got to go or I'm going to miss my cab. I'm sorry about this whole conversation, okay? I'll see you in a couple of days." Beca apologized before leaning up and kissing her girlfriend quickly. And with that, the DJ grabbed her bag and hurried out of the apartment that they had rented for the summer.

Beca felt her stomach lurch as the taxi pulled to a stop in front of the house she had spent so many weekends at. Knowing that the longer she stayed in the backseat, the longer the meter would run, she quickly handed the cabbie his pay and hopped out. The tiny girl pulled her bag out of the trunk and took a deep breath before walking up onto the porch. Beca raised her fist to knock and then hesitated. It was her childhood home for crying out loud; she shouldn't feel like she had to knock. Yet she did.

After a few seconds, Beca heard the sound of footsteps and the door unlatching. Suddenly, she was face to face with her mother. Somehow, the 57 year old still looked just as good as when Beca was growing up, if not a little grayer.

"Beca, honey. Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to come in?" The woman asked, stepping aside and arching an eyebrow. Beca unfroze and nodded, stepping forward to hug her mom.

"Sorry. It's just been a while since I've been here. How've things been?" The 19 year old said, pulling back from the hug and grabbing her bag off the ground. She stepped inside and was smacked in the face by memories. Forcing herself to push them to the back of her mind, she attempted to pay attention to what her mother was saying.

"Things have been fine. The divorce with Ted's was finalized last week, so that's done." The woman said, leading her daughter into the kitchen. The two of them sat down together and Beca winced as she heard the back door slam shut.

"Thank God. How's…how's she been?" Beca's voice quieted and her mother sighed.

"She doesn't speak to me. She's not home very often. So I probably know about as much as you." Beca nodded in understanding and glanced around the kitchen. She mentally prepared herself for the cliché "my baby's done with her first year of college" questions.

"So tell me about this girlfriend!"

"Her name is Chloe and she sings and she has red hair. And dad likes her so you have to too or else you'll seem like the shitty judgmental one."

"Alright, alright. How did you two meet?"

"She walked into my shower while I was singing and asked me to audition for her acapella group. Romantic, I know. Can you ask me about something other than my girlfriend?"

"Okay. When did you know you were gay? Did you know in high school? Were you hiding this from me-"

"Oh my God, mom, no. I didn't know I was when I met her."

"Alright, if you say so. How's your dad?"

"Dad's great. He's happy with Joanne-"

"I'm so sorry for messing everything up. If I hadn't asked for a divorce, none of this would have happened. And you and your sister wouldn't be so-"

"Mom, please just stop," Beca interjected, "I'm not the one you need to apologize to. I lived with dad. I got the easy life with dad. So just don't." The older woman stared at her daughter in surprise then nodded.

"Alright. Well, I can see you're not in the mood to talk to me. If you want to try her, she's probably in the backyard, working out." Beca's mom suggested tiredly, standing up from the table and walking over to the fridge. She started to pull out ingredients for dinner, and Beca stood up from the table as well. Swallowing the lump in her throat, the tiny brunette started out towards her old backyard.

_**So this is just a little something I thought up the other day and decided to jot it down. Tell me if you think it's worth continuing and what you'd like to see.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Beca attempted to calm her nerves as she stared out the back door. She could see her younger sister over at their old picnic table. With her feet propped up onto the bench and sweat dripping off her face, she was steadily lifting herself up in down in an impressive series of pushups.

"Standing her isn't going to make her like you again." Beca murmured to herself. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, the 19 year old opened her sliding glass door and stepped out into the yard. A harsh amount of sunlight hit her and she squinted into it. By the time the glare was out of her eyes, her sister was already halfway towards the road, walking away from her.

"Jaiden! Jaiden, please don't walk away." Beca begged, starting after the other girl. She hurried as fast as she could and eventually caught up with her before she could get into the red car she was in the process of unlocking.

"Why are you even here?" The teenager muttered, fiddling with her keys and finally managing to unlock the driver's side door. Before she could worry about locking it again, Beca slid into the car's passenger side and put her seatbelt on. Her younger sister glared at her and shoved her key into the ignition.

"I'm going to drive around the block four times. And then you're going to get out of my car." Beca nodded in understanding and started into her prepared speech as quickly as she could.

"You have every right to hate me, I know. I know me saying I'm sorry and that I should have done something doesn't help anything. It doesn't change anything. But I really am so, so sorry. And if you're going to be up at Barden next year, I want us to actually talk-"

"I'm not going to Barden so I can get closer to you. I'm going because it's the only place I can go to for free, and that's just because Dad feels guilty too." Jaiden interrupted, turning her car around the second corner, marking the halfway mark of their first lap. Beca's face flushed a deep red and she drew in a deep breath.

"My point is that I have never regretted anything more than I regret ignoring what was happening." She admitted quietly. Jaiden accelerated past their house for the first time and turned at the first intersection.

"Yeah well, good for you. It doesn't really matter to me if you regret what you did or not."

"I told my girlfriend about you Jay-"

"Don't call me that. You don't get to call me that," the 17 year old snapped. "And I really couldn't care less about whatever girl you tricked into dating you. It's really great that you can just be yourself and date who you want without getting the shit kicked out of you for it. Believe me, I'm happy for you." Beca clenched her eyes shut and bit her bottom lip. They passed their house for the second time, and the younger of the two stepped onto the gas pedal a little harder.

"I don't know how many times I'm going to have to apologize for you to understand how sorry I am." The 19 year old said in frustration. Her sister shot her a sideways glance and then shook her head.

"I understand that you're sorry. It just doesn't matter." They passed the halfway point around the block and Beca knew she was running out of time.

"Jaiden, please just give me another chance. I don't need us to be close or anything. I just need you not to hate me. You're my sister; that's not how it's supposed to be."

"You're right. Sisters are supposed to look out for one another." They passed the house a third time. Beca knew her chances were at about zero at this point.

"I know. I fucked up. I thought that maybe if I could get out of the house and get dad to believe me, I could help. But he always just brushed it off as us not liking Ted."

"Wow. That must have been a lot of effort for you." The dark haired girl responded dryly. Finally, she pulled to a stop in front of their house and turned to look at her older sister.

"If it gets you off my ass about this, then fine. I accept your shitty apology. Now get out of the car so I can get away from you." Jaiden said bluntly. Beca hesitated for a moment before unbuckling her seatbelt and stepping out of the small Ford. The moment she shut the door behind her, the car peeled out and her sister disappeared down the street. Beca sighed shakily and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She quickly dialed Chloe's number and lifted the small device to her ear. The small girl sat down on the front porch step and ran her fingers through her hair tiredly. Her girlfriend answered on the third ring.

"_Hello?"_

"Chloe, will you come get me?"

"_What, why? Are you alright?"_

"I'm fine. I just can't be here right now. She hates me so much and I can't take my mom right now." Beca's voice broke and her girlfriend's heart cracked right along with it.

"_Okay, okay. I'm going to be there as soon as I can. What's your address?"_

"I'll text it to you."

"_Alright. Beca, what's going on between you two? Why would your own sister hate you?"_

"Because I abandoned her Chloe!" Beca shouted into the iPhone, "When our parents got divorced, my mom got custody of her and her fucking new boyfriend started beating the shit out of her because she came out. And I never stopped him." Silence rested between the two young women for the next few seconds.

"_Beca, that's awful."_

"I tried telling my dad, but he didn't believe me. She ended up in the hospital for almost two weeks before anyone actually realized I was telling the truth."

"_We can talk about this more in the car. I'll be there within the next two hours. I love you Beca. This will all be okay."_

"Thanks. I love you too." The singer muttered into the speaker. She heard the click of her girlfriend hanging up and slowly lowered the phone from her ear. Beca quickly typed her address into a message bubble and sent it to Chloe before slipping it back into her pocket.

_**Thank you for the two reviews on the first chapter! I'm willing to take it in any direction you guys would want to see, so feel free to message me and let me know or post it in the reviews! **_


	3. Chapter 3

Chloe glanced at the mailbox numbers anxiously as she drove down what the GPS told her was Beca's street. She cursed herself for not asking her girlfriend what her house looked like because she had absolutely no idea where she was. The redhead tapped the accelerator and then jumped as an automated voice filled the car.

_Turn right now._

The redhead cut the wheel to the right almost immediately, and then gasped when she saw a small red car coming her way. Chloe slammed on the brakes as fast as she could, but it wasn't good enough. Her bumper rammed right into the front of the other car and the sound of the two cars colliding filled the streets.

"Shit." Chloe muttered, clenching her eyes shut and sighing as her engine died and she slammed backwards into her seat. The redhead watched as the other driver stepped out of her car and quickly unbuckled her own seatbelt. She stepped out onto the pavement and started apologizing immediately.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't look before I turned, I was following my GPS and-"

"It's fine. Look, my bumper's barely dented and it's a piece of shit anyway. You want to just go our separate ways and leave the insurance and shit out of it?" The teenager sighed, bringing her hand up and rubbing it on the back of her neck. Chloe glanced at the older looking Ford and then back at its driver.

"Are you sure? Like I said, it's completely my fault." The redhead asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Look, we're literally right in front of my house, so if you need to call someone or something-"

"Chloe? What the hell happened?" Jaiden was cut off by her older sister's voice and she jerked her head towards the shorter girl in confusion. Beca was standing on the front porch of the house with her duffel bag in her hand with a completely concerned expression plastered across her face. After a couple of seconds, something clicked in Jaiden's head and she sighed.

"Oh my God. Shit. Shit." She murmured. The 17 year old quickly grabbed the keys out of her car and started up the sidewalk towards her house, brushing past Beca without a second glance.

"Wait! What's going on here?" Jaiden stopped just before the first porch step and turned around. Chloe was staring at her with the same confusion she had felt just a second ago.

"You must be the girlfriend Beca was trying to tell me about. Look. Run while you can. You seem like a nice girl and just…run. Because she'll probably end up leaving you." She deadpanned before turning back towards her house.

"Come on, let's just go." Beca practically whispered as she walked towards the end of the sidewalk. The short brunette grabbed her girlfriend's arm and tugged her towards her slightly dented car. Chloe glanced backwards anxiously before following her girlfriend into the car and driving away.

"What happened?" Chloe asked, setting the GPS destination back to their apartment and then pulling out onto the road. Beca sighed from the passenger seat and shook her head.

"She hates me, just like I said she would." She replied angrily. Beca shoved her bag into the backseat and ran her fingers through her hair before glancing out the window. "How did you two end up hitting each other?"

"I was trying to drive under the directions of a robot and I'm an idiot." Chloe shrugged, glancing at the tiny screen attached to her windshield and quickly jerked the steering wheel to the left. Beca slammed into her door and winced.

"Jesus Chloe. What she said to you…I get if you don't want to do this anymore because-"

"Beca, I understand that she has a right to be upset. But I'm not breaking up with you because of it. You tried to tell your dad, so you didn't just ignore it. And I think eventually this will all work out." The redhead said confidentially. Beca glanced at her in disbelief.

"Are you serious? There's no way that's going to happen. She literally has no reason to want me back in her life."

"Well you two are sisters. That's a reason. And I got you to join the Bella's, so I could probably get her to." Chloe shrugged before sharply turning to the right, causing Beca to slam her shoulder against the door once again.

"Don't. Seriously Chloe, don't even try. It's a nice idea and all, but I'm not going to force myself into her life. If she doesn't want me there, then I'm not going to go against that. She has the right to choose." Beca admitted quietly. Chloe turned to look at her for a few seconds before turning her attention back to the road. This was probably the most open Beca had been with her about anything that had happened before they had met, and she was starting to understand why.

"She might just need some time to realize that you really are sorry for what happened. Seeing you today was probably just as stressful on her as it was on you." Beca nodded in agreement and sighed. The small DJ reached over and took Chloe's free hand in her own.

"I know. I feel awful for even upsetting her like that. I just was so anxious to try to make things right because I can't handle the guilt from this anymore. And I know that's narcissistic, but I seriously can't do it anymore." Beca's voice trembled a bit and the redhead beside her couldn't help but notice the grip on her hand was getting tighter. She squeezed her girlfriend's hand back and looked at her as they pulled up to a red light.

"You're not narcissistic, you're just human and you're processing human emotions. I'm telling you, this will all work out. Just give it some time."

_**Sorry this update took so long! I've been camping in the internet free wilderness for the past week. Feel free to let me know what you think/what you'd like to see happen! :)**_


	4. Chapter 4

_3 months later_

"I don't want your help moving in, so just leave." Dr. Mitchell stopped two steps into his youngest daughter's dorm. A look of disappointment crossed his face and he hesitated before shutting the door behind him. Jaiden's roommate hadn't showed up yet, so he figured that now was the best time he was going to get to talk to her.

"Come on honey, please don't be like this. I didn't know, and if I had, you know I would have stopped it-"

"Seriously, why are you doing this? I'm not sure if Beca told you or not, but her little apology plan didn't work either. I'm not here to get closer to you two. I'm here because Mom's poor and this was the only way I could go to college." The 18 year old interrupted, continuing to pull clothes out of her suitcase and shoving them into her new dresser drawers. Her father opened his mouth to respond and then paused, unsure he could say anything that wouldn't make the whole situation worse.

"I see. Well, glad I could be of some sort of help to you. Hopefully I'll see you around campus." He muttered finally. Jaiden didn't respond, just continued to unpack her belongings. Dr. Mitchell sighed before reluctantly walking out of his daughter's dorm.

Jaiden spent the rest of her evening unpacking her suitcase and becoming slightly acquainted with her roommate. And her roommate's boyfriend. The two had been making out since she had moved in, and Jaiden was beginning to think she wasn't going to get much sleep that night. Just as she was beginning to consider sleeping in the dorm lobby, there was a knock at the door. Praying that it wasn't her father again, Jaiden stood up and opened it.

"Hi!" Jaiden suddenly found herself face to face with the redhead who had wrecked into her at the beginning of the summer. The freshman frowned and glanced around the hallway, looking for her sister.

"Seriously, just tell Beca I don't want to see her-"

"Beca's not here." Chloe interrupted, gesturing vaguely to the hallway behind her. Jaiden turned her eyes back onto the redhead and stared at her in confusion.

"Well then why are you?"

"It's your first year. And by the looks of it," Chloe peered through the doorway and eyed the couple making out on one of the dorm's beds, "you'd rather get out of your dorm than stay and watch those two suck face. So let me give you a little tour."

Jaiden sighed before reluctantly grabbing her wallet and walking out of her dorm room. Chloe couldn't hide a tiny triumphant grin from her face as she led the 18 year old down the hall.

"So what made you want to come to Barden?" Jaiden rolled her eyes at the question.

"It was the only place I could get in for free. Why are you so intent on showing me around the campus?"

"I feel bad for hitting your car. And even though you two don't talk, you're still my girlfriend's sister, so I'd like to get to know you."

"Ah. So this is an "I feel guilty about hitting your car and the fact that you have family problems" tour. My favorite." Jaiden said dryly. She and Chloe stepped out of the dorm building and into the late August sunlight. Students bustled around them, trying to finish the last of their unpacking.

"I guess if you want to call it that, you can."

"Well since you finally admitted the reasons you're doing this, I'm going to say thanks, but no thanks. I'll figure out my way around." Jaiden said politely. The older girl sighed in annoyance and grabbed her arm before she could walk away.

"Then I'm taking you out for a coffee. An "I'm sorry for trying to take you on a tour because I felt guilty" coffee." She chuckled. Jaiden hesitated for a second before giving in and nodding. The redhead grinned triumphantly and began to lead the freshman towards the on campus Starbucks.

"Chloe and Jaiden!" The 19 year old stood up as her name and the girl she was being borderline harassed by's name were called. She grabbed the two cups from the front counter and nodded at the barista before returning to their table. The brunette glared across the café in annoyance as another amateur singer began to take advantage of the "Open Mic Night" that the employees had so expertly planned on move-in day.

"Somehow they always manage to spell the names wrong." Jaiden muttered, setting the two coffees down and taking her seat across from Chloe. Both of them winced as the current participant began to sing _far _too closely to the microphone.

"Somehow they always manage to plan these on the worst nights." Chloe laughed.

"The out of tune guitar is a really nice touch. I have to say, I think that your tour might have been less painful than this." She admitted. Chloe was about to reply when her phone went off. The redhead gave her companion an apologetic glance and answered it.

"Beca, hi….no, I'm on campus….I'm really busy right now, can we meet up later?...Okay, yeah, I'll be there then…hey, I love you…bye babe." The phone call was over within 30 seconds and Jaiden stared at Chloe expectantly after she had hung up.

"Have somewhere to be?" She asked.

"Later tonight, yes. Luckily for you, I have enough time to finish our coffee." Chloe assured her.

"So, how did you two start dating? Did she bribe you originally or?"

"I actually walked in on her while she was showering and I found out she could sing, so I made her audition for the Barden Bellas-"

"Whoa, wait, the what?" Jaiden interjected.

"The Barden Bellas. We're the only all-girl acapella group on campus and we're amazing. Anyways, I made her audition and at first she was totally into this guy from a different group, but I won her over in the end." Chloe grinned triumphantly. Jaiden stared at her in disbelief.

"Are you serious? Like that's actually how you met?" Chloe nodded and sighed in relief as the terrible cover of Wonderwall finally ended.

"_And next up is Beca Mitchell? You still out there Beca?" _Jaiden froze as the host for the night announced her sister's name. She shot a glance at Chloe, who looked just as surprised.

"Straight up, did you plan this?" The brunette demanded, grabbing her cup of coffee and standing up. Chloe stood up as well and shook her head immediately.

"Jaiden, I swear I didn't. But please just stay. I'm not going to ask you to talk to her or anything, but just watch her sing." Chloe begged, catching Jaiden by the wrist before she should leave the café. An irritated sigh escaped the younger girl's lips and she sat down reluctantly.

_**Sorry for the wait, I've been really busy. Feel free to tell me what you think.**_


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, yeah, hi. So my name is Beca and I'm going to sing a song. And I know I'm awful at guitar, but just deal with it anyways." Chloe couldn't help but grin as her girlfriend awkwardly stammered into the microphone. Public singing was no problem for her, but it was obvious that public speaking was another matter.

"This is called Hate to See Your Heart Break and it's by Paramore." Beca added before starting to strum at the guitar. The redhead across the café shot a look at her younger companion before turning her attention back to Beca.

_There is not a single word in the whole world  
That could describe the hurt  
The dullest knife just sawing back and forth  
And ripping through the softest skin there ever was_

_How were you to know?  
Oh, how were you to know?_

"She's great, isn't she?" Chloe whispered, turning her electric blue eyes towards Jaiden once again. The 18 year old nodded a bit, eyes fixed on her older sister.

_And I, I hate to see your heart break  
I hate to see your eyes get darker as they close  
But I've been there before  
And I, I hate to see your heart break  
I hate to see your eyes get darker as they close  
But I've been there before_

"Let me guess, she's a part of the little singing group you wanted me to join?" Jaiden asked quietly, finally pulling her eyes away from the small stage and focusing them on the redhead. Chloe nodded sheepishly.

"She was our main soloist at the championships last year. Absolutely killed it."

"Sorry to break it to you, but singing wasn't really something that was passed along to me. Plus you're plan to get us in a club together is really obvious." Jaiden muttered, turning her attention back towards Beca. The tiny brunette was just starting towards the bridge of her song.

_For all the air that's in your lungs  
For all the joy that is to come  
For all the things that you're alive to feel  
Just let the pain remind you hearts can heal_

_Oh, how were you to know?  
Oh, how were you to know?_

_And I, I hate to see your heart break  
I hate to see your eyes get darker as they close  
But I've been there before  
And I, I hate to see your heart break  
I hate to see your eyes get darker as they close  
But I've been there before_

Beca's song ended and she was met with a round of applause from the entire café. Chloe, who was clapping exceptionally loud, stood up and ran across the room to meet Beca as soon as she had stepped down. Jaiden stayed put at their table, taking another sip off her lukewarm coffee.

"You were so great!" Chloe squealed, throwing her arms around her girlfriend and nearly knocking the guitar out of her hands. Beca arched an eyebrow in confusion.

"I thought you were busy?" The musician asked. Chloe grinned mischievously and shrugged.

"I kinda figured you'd be here so I kinda thought maybe I'd bring Jaiden." Beca's eyes widened and immediately started scanning the room. She found her sister sitting in the back after a few seconds and then looked back towards Chloe.

"I can't believe you. How the hell did you manage that?" Beca demanded. Chloe frowned at the tone in the shorter girl's voice.

"Excuse me, I thought you wanted to fix things with her? All I had to do was ask her out for coffee."

"She's just going to be annoyed by this. She probably only stayed because you're…you. And you're hard to disappoint." Beca sighed, kneeling down and putting her guitar in its case. She quickly latched the hard shell and stood up. She found it a bit nerve wracking that her sister had heard her sing. What was almost more nerve wracking was the fact that she was still sitting back there. Chloe followed Beca's gaze, and was admittedly surprised that the freshman was still around.

"Maybe you should go talk to her. She obviously hasn't left for a reason, so it's not like she's dying to get away from you. Or she just wants to tell you that you suck at guitar." Chloe chuckled, nudging her anxious girlfriend towards her younger sibling. Beca hesitated before starting towards the back of the Starbucks.

Jaiden watched as her sister started to make her way over to her, although a bit unwillingly. Part of her wanted to get up and leave before she was forced to begin another uncomfortable conversation, but the nervous look on Beca's face was enough to tell her that they were both being forced into this. And somehow that made staying easier.

"Hi." Beca said quietly, finally arriving at the table. Jaiden glanced up at her and kicked the empty chair out with her foot.

"Hey." The older of the two sat down tentatively before setting her guitar down.

"Sorry about Chloe. She's kind of overbearing sometimes." Beca laughed anxiously. Jaiden looked across the room to find the redhead watching them with an excited smile plastered across her face.

"Yeah. Overbearing is a good word for it. You have a really nice voice." Jaiden stated before taking the last drink of her coffee. Beca tried to hide the tiny smile she was fighting and looked down at her lap.

"Wow, um, thank you. I used to remember you singing around the house a lot and I was always kind of jealous-"

"Woah, let's not mention that. I kind of told your girlfriend I can't sing so she wouldn't try to get me in the Barden Bells or whatever you guys call yourselves." Jaiden interrupted. Beca couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Figures she'd do that." After Beca's reply, silence rested between the two sisters. Jaiden cleared her throat uncomfortably and then finally stood up.

"Well…goodbye." Jaiden muttered. She looked up and nodded at Chloe across the room before making her way out of the Starbucks. The moment she was out the door, Chloe raced over to her girlfriend.

"How did it go? What did she say? Did you two make up?" The redhead demanded. Beca sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"No, we didn't make up. She wasn't as abrasive though. She, um, she said I have a really nice voice." Beca started to smile again, but quickly hid it. The tiny action did not go unnoticed by her girlfriend.

"Well you do have a really nice voice. In fact, it's sexy. So let's get going." Chloe winked, taking a hold of Beca's hand. The tiny brunette smirked and followed her girlfriend out of the café, back to their dorm.


	6. Chapter 6

"Beca, come on, let's go." Chloe whined, bursting into the bathroom and crossing her arms impatiently. She had been waiting for a good _15 _minutes for the smaller girl to finish getting ready and that was quite enough for her.

"Wow, chill. I was just finishing my make-up." Beca looked away from the mirror and squinted at her girlfriend skeptically. The redhead had been insanely energetic all night, more so than usual, and she seemed a little too excited over some stupid party.

"Well you look as hot and edgy as ever so let's go." Chloe grinned, grabbing her by the arm and whisking her out of the bathroom. The smaller girl frowned in confusion, but went along with it and slipped into her heels at the door. The two of them hurried down the empty dorm hallway and out onto campus.

"Where are we going?" Beca asked as they made their way across an open plot of grass.

"Freshman Fling." The redhead replied simply. Beca did a double take and frowned in confusion.

"What the hell? Why?" Chloe turned towards her and squeezed her hand with a nervous smile.

"I figured your sister would be there and I think we should drop in. Alcohol lowers everyone's inhibitions." Beca froze in her tracks and pulled her hand out of Chloe's. She had known something was going on from the second she and Chloe had started getting ready and the older girl had started acting so peculiar.

"Chloe, enough. Stop trying to fix this shit show." Beca demanded, crossing her arms defensively in front of herself and planting her feet firmly in the grass.

"I just want you two to have a second chance." She replied quietly, blue eyes glistening with guilt. Beca's defensive behavior softened slightly and she sighed.

"It's just not going to help. I appreciate you trying and everything but I fucked things up with her and there's just…it's not going to work, babe." Beca explained, closing the small gap between them and intertwining her fingers with Chloe's again. The taller girl frowned, obviously not content with Beca's refusal to try any further.

"Maybe we should still go for a little bit. Just to make sure she's doing okay and everything. I mean, I remember my first weekend freshmen year." Chloe kept her tone optional, hoping that at least the idea of things getting too out of hand would convince Beca to at least check in on her younger sibling. To her relief, she watched an air of concern wash over the tiny girl's expression and she pursed her lips.

"Okay. But I don't want her to see us." Beca relented. Her girlfriend managed to hide a small triumphant smile as they began towards the freshmen dorms.

"Holy shit." Beca's eyes widened as they stepped into a far too crowded hallway. The smell of weed, booze, and sweat hit the two young women like a truck and Chloe coughed lightly.

"This is disgusting. Let's just find her, make sure she's alright, and get out of here." Beca groaned, shoving past a guy approximately two times her size and pulling Chloe along with her. The two of them squeezed their way through the packed dorm, scanning the unfamiliar faces for Jaiden's.

"Hands off bud; not after dick." Beca warned as she felt a pair of large hands slip around her waist. Whatever meathead had gotten the idea to hit on her removed his hands with a mumbled "_fuck" _and stumbled off.

"You're just so charming." Chloe giggled, wrapping her free arm around Beca's waist. The shorter girl rolled her eyes when she saw the cup in her other hand.

"Where the hell did you even pick that up from?" Chloe shrugged and took a sip.

"Freshmen boys are _very _generous." She clarified. Beca nodded and snagged a plastic cup off of a potato chip covered table. After one quick sniff, she deemed it drinkable and downed about half of it.

"I don't think we're going to find her." The brunette sighed. Chloe glanced around the party and chewed on her bottom lip.

"Well, let's just finish up here and then we can bail if you really want to." Beca locked her jaw and whipped around to look at the redhead.

"Don't."

"Don't what?" Chloe tilted her head to the side and took another drink.

"Don't make me feel bad for wanting to-"

"Beca, shut up," Chloe interrupted and forced the smaller girl to turn back around. "Over there, on the couch." Beca squinted in the direction that her girlfriend was pointing and saw what Chloe had spotted.

"Is that her? Is she even conscious?" Chloe stood on her tiptoes to get a better look and strained to identify the figure sprawled out on the couch.

"I don't know. I mean, I think that's her but I can't tell if she's passed out or not." Beca responded. She was having an even harder time seeing. Just then, two boys started over towards the couch and as they hauled the girl to her feet, it was clear that she was Jaidan and she was, in fact, very unconscious.

"Fuck no." Beca released Chloe's hand and shoved her way through the remaining crowd of people. "Put her down, _right now_." The small brunette demanded. Chloe hurried to join her and glared at the two boys in disgust. The smirks that had been plastered across their intoxicated faces quickly disappeared and they both exchanged glances, knowing that they had been busted.

"Whatever." The taller of the two mumbled. They released their grip on Jaiden and she collapsed back onto the couch as the both of them staggered away.

"We should call campus police. That was-" Chloe started, but was quickly cut off by her girlfriend.

"Not right now. We need to get her out of here and make sure she doesn't have alcohol poisoning or something. Help me get her up." The two girls abandoned their cups and drug Beca's younger sister to her feet. Each of them took one arm over their shoulders and wrapped one of their own around her waist before starting towards the door.

"Jaiden? Hey, can you hear me?" Chloe attempted to speak into the younger girl's ear as they pulled her towards the doorway.

"Hey, out of the way! She's about to puke." Beca shouted at the seemingly immovable partiers in their way. The faux warning seemed to do the trick as a pathway opened up and they were able to haul Jaiden's body out of the party and into the less crowded hallway.

"Beca, she's really out. Maybe we need to take her to a hospital." Chloe suggested worriedly. Jaiden's head lolled to the side weakly Beca turned debated their options.

"No..no hospital." The two older girls turned their heads in surprise as Jaiden slurred the few words.

"Okay, well at least she's talking. Let's just get her to our room and make sure she's alright for tonight." Beca decided, tightening her grip on her sister before she started slipping. The girl's head rose slowly and her eyes fluttered open. It took her vision a second or two to adjust before it registered that Beca was one of the ones holding her up. The severely impaired 18 year old pulled clumsily away from her, only to be caught by Chloe and held up.

"Jaiden, come on, we're just trying to help you. Did someone give you something to take?" Chloe's voice captured her attention and she fixed her gaze on the redhead. She attempted something that resembled a shrug and took in a shaky breath.

"I think I'm…I'm gonna be sick." Jaiden stammered out. Chloe released the arm around her shoulder and hurried to hold the girl's hair back just before she threw up on the floor in front of them. "I only had two…two drinks." Beca and Chloe exchanged a glance before steering Jaiden around the vomit and continuing down the hall.

"Yeah, well, your first weekend at college and someone already tried to drug you." Beca muttered. The three of them made the rest of their journey in silence. Jaiden's chin rested on her neck as she slipped back into unconsciousness and her feet drug behind her.

* * *

"Oh, thank God." Chloe finally managed to unlock their door and she and Beca hurried to set Jaiden down on the bed. The two of them shook out their aching arms and caught their breath. Dragging the other girl across the campus had been no small task and with the convenient lack of campus officials, there was absolutely no help.

"Is she out again? Oh my God, what if her breathing stopped?" Beca's voice rose in both pitch and panic as she stared at the still form on the bed. The tiny brunette hurried to hold her hand in front of Jaiden's face and relaxed slightly as she felt a bit of air against her palm.

"Why don't you go get her a glass of water and I'll try to wake her up?" Chloe advised, hoping to give her girlfriend a task before she could freak herself out again. Little did Beca know, Chloe had gone through nearly the same thing her freshmen year, apart from the fact that her roommates hadn't been intelligent enough to keep her hydrated. The following morning result was not pleasant. Beca nodded in compliance and hurried off towards their small kitchen.

"Okay Jaiden, time to sit up. Come on," Chloe coaxed, kneeling on the bed and rolling Jaiden completely onto her back. The younger girl whimpered something incoherent and made no attempt to move. Chloe sighed, slid her arms under Jaiden's, and pulled her up so she could lean back against the headboard. The freshmen almost immediately slumped over and Chloe slid over next to her so that she could hold her up. Beca returned less than a minute later with a glass of water.

"Sit on her other side and help her drink at least that entire glass before she passes out again." The redhead instructed. Beca looked at her younger sister uncertainly before sitting down next to her and holding the glass in front of her face. Chloe sighed and rolled her eyes before taking the glass from her girlfriend.

"You're lucky you have me." Beca looked away, embarrassed at her own lack of competence and fear of upsetting her younger sister. Chloe lifted Jaiden's chin and held the glass to her lips. The younger girl seemed to rouse from her unconsciousness and started to sip at the water weakly. Chloe waited patiently for her to finish the majority of it before setting the glass down on the nightstand.

"Now you can sleep. Just nudge one of us if you think you're going to be sick again." Chloe said softly. She got no response, other than Jaiden's chin reaching her chest again. The redhead turned her attention to Beca again and took in the smaller girl's uncomfortable state.

"Hey. Don't." She warned gently. Beca looked up at her and her eyes flickered towards Jaiden for a moment before landing back on her girlfriend.

"I'm sorry. She's just…she's going to wake back up in the morning and hate me. And this is the closest we've been in years." Beca's voice thickened and she stared up towards the ceiling, biting her lip. Chloe watched as the defensive girl struggled to hold herself together, afraid that if she did something, she might set her off.

"I'm sorry, baby. I love you." Chloe offered quietly. Beca broke her watering eyes away from the ceiling and nodded before forcing herself to look at the older girl.

"I love you too."


	7. Chapter 7

"Beca. Beca, wake up, but don't move." Chloe kept her voice as quiet as possible, whispering into her girlfriend's ear. She had been awake for nearly two hours and although she was trying to be patient, she desperately wanted Beca to wake up before Jaiden. To her delight, the small brunette's eyes fluttered open and she stared at her girlfriend in tired confusion. Chloe watched as Beca's attention turned to the head on her shoulder and her eyes widened.

"I'm sorry I woke you. I just wanted you to see." Chloe explained quietly. Beca nodded in understanding, her eyes still fixed on her sister. "Do you want me to take a picture?" The redhead offered.

"Oh my God, no. You are literally so embarrass-" Beca was caught off as the 18 year old next to her stirred. Cursing the volume of her voice, Beca watched, frozen, as her sister sat up and blinked away the sleep in her eyes. She and Chloe were silent as they watched Jaiden slowly register where she was and who she was with.

"Shit." The freshman mumbled, bringing a hand up to her pounding head and wincing. The soft sunlight streaming in through the window seemed impossibly bright. She clenched her eyes shut, hoping to avoid the light and keep herself from having to address the fact she had just woken up on Beca's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" The older girl's voice was laced with hesitancy and Jaiden fought back the guilt she knew she shouldn't be having over how hostile she had been. She was allowed to be cold. She had a right to.

"I'm fine. I need to go." The 18 year old replied quickly, sliding off of the opposite side of the bed and getting to her feet. It was then that she realized that whatever she had ingested last night hadn't yet worn off and she stumbled forward, barely managing to catch herself on the nearest wall.

"Woah, sit down. You're not okay to go anywhere." Chloe left no room for argument in her voice as she crossed the dorm and helped the younger girl steady herself. Jaiden reluctantly allowed herself to be sat back down on the bed, fighting back the building nausea in her stomach. Noticing the significant paling of her features, Chloe mouthed the word "trashcan" at her girlfriend. Beca sprung up from the bed and grabbed the garbage can on the other side. She hurried to place it at Jaiden's feet.

"I'm good. I…I'm fine." The youngest of the three waved them off and got a hold on her stomach.

"I think you need to eat something. I'll make some breakfast, you two catch up." Chloe smoothly exited the room with a decent motive and winked at Beca before she made it into their tiny kitchen. The two young women sat awkwardly in silence for a few moments, with Beca growing more and more nervous by the second.

"If you want to do me a solid, help me sneak out of here without your stalker of a girlfriend stopping me." Jaiden propositioned finally. Beca looked up from her clasped hands in her lap and tried to hide the hurt in her expression. Venturing out and standing her ground, she shook her head.

"No. I know you don't like me, but I'm still going to try to look out for you and my stalker girlfriend is right; you're not okay right now." The older girl replied firmly. Jaiden locked her jaw, but remained on the bed.

"Can you just stop trying to play the hero? You're not. Stop acting like you care and you just want to look out for me because if that was even remotely true, you would have done it when I actually needed you." Jaiden's voice rose in volume and she shook her head at the older girl. This time, Beca didn't bother to mask her reaction and she dropped her eyes to the floor.

"You are never going to hate me for what happened more than I hate myself. But you need to listen when I tell you that I tried to talk to Dad. I was young and stupid and I didn't know what else to do. And then when we got the call that you were in the hospital-"

"Don't. Don't talk about the hospital. Of course I fucking turned to you after he beat me half to death. I was hurt and scared still and I was younger and stupider than you were." Jaiden cut her off the second the word 'hospital' left her mouth and then grimaced at the flare of pain in her head. She didn't notice the fact that her sister was struggling to keep herself composed, much less avoid running out the door.

"I love you, Jaiden. You don't believe it, I know, but I do." Beca choked out finally. Jaiden squeezed her eyes shut again, willing the rest of the drugs in her system to dissipate so that she could bail as soon as possible. The pang of guilt in her chest was only getting worse the more her sister spoke, especially after the hospital was brought up. Jaiden fought against the threat of memories in the back of her hazy mind.

"_Jay? Can you hear me? Please wake up." A voice broke out from the steady sound of beeping Jaiden had been lost in for God knows how long, bringing her up from her state of half consciousness. The teenager forced her swollen eyes to open and squinted against the florescent lights above her head. Eventually, her vision focused on the figure beside her and she recognized her sister._

"_I'm so sorry. Oh my God, Jaiden, I'm so sorry." Beca apologized through the tears streaming down her face and tightened her hold on Jaiden's bruised hand slightly. The younger girl sucked in a deep breath as the pain she was in started to push through whatever medication was dripping through her IV._

"_Where's…where's Mom?" The younger of the siblings asked weakly. She struggled feebly to sit up, but was forced back into laying still as her body resented the small movement. _

"_She's down at the police station with him." Beca answered. Her voice was filled with disgust and she watched her younger sister's bruised face for her reaction. The younger girl didn't give away any signs of what she was thinking; only worrying her further._

"_The doctors say you have to stay for a few weeks. It's not visiting hours anymore but they promised I could stay with you all night. I'm sorry, Jay." The older Mitchell stifled a sob and hoped that her words were at least some sort of comfort._

"_Can we just sleep?" Jaiden requested exhaustedly. Seeing Beca like this wasn't usual for her and she wanted nothing more than to slip back into the sleep she had just been roused from. To her relief, her older sister stood up from her chair and carefully slid into the hospital bed next to her. Jaiden relaxed, giving into the painkillers in her system, and let out a deep breath as Beca carefully wrapped her arms around her._

"What do you want from me, Beca? Honestly, what? Do you think we could ever actually be normal again?" Jaiden demanded, breaking out of her flashback. Beca looked taken aback by the question and stammered for a response.

"I just want you in my life again. I miss you and I don't really talk to Dad or Mom anymore. Not after what happened. You're my only family and we were so close. I miss you. But I know I'll never be able to make this up to you or make things normal again." Beca answered finally. Her voice was desperate and her eyes searched Jaiden's for any sign of pity.

"You act like I don't miss you or whatever, like I'm some heartless monster. You can't blame me for wanting to get away from anything that makes me think of what happened. You can't blame me for hating the fact that you got the easy life with Dad and I got stuck with them." Jaiden replied defensively. Beca shook her head immediately, praying that she wasn't pushing her away even further.

"No, I can't blame you for that. I blame myself that any of that happened. And if you would have known me the past few years, you'd understand why I sound like a huge hypocrite right now, but please let me in." Beca begged, taking a chance and sitting down next to Jaiden on the bed. The younger girl tensed immediately and studied her older sister's face. Beca hadn't changed much in the past few years, physically anyways, which made choking back the nostalgia very, very hard. Not to mention, the last time the two of them had been face to face was when she woke up in the hospital.

"Please." Beca murmured. She reached up quickly and wiped at her watering eyes, still fighting to keep herself together. The situation had built into an all or nothing one more quickly than she had imagined and she knew that this was likely her last chance to plea her case.

"Whatever. We can be civil." Jaiden's reply was still, reserved, and seemed reluctant at best. Nevertheless, it was more than what Beca had expected, and now she found herself struggling to suppress her relief.

"Who wants toast and eggs?" Chloe appeared in the doorway holding two full plates of breakfast food and grinning. The two siblings were pulled out of their conversation by the sudden interruption and Jaiden was immediately relieved for the distraction. She managed to get on her feet and walk in a crooked path towards the redhead, trying to hide how truly intoxicated she still was. Beca walked behind her worriedly-noticing her stumbling, and then looked at Chloe. The three of them made their way into the dorm's small kitchen and the youngest of them collapsed into the first chair she saw. Her vision swam in front of her and she attempted to fight back the lingering disorientation.

"Eat up; it'll help. Here's a cup of coffee. I hope you like hazelnut creamer because it's the only kind we have left." Chloe offered, grabbing the steaming mug off of their counter and setting it down at the table in front of Jaiden. She quickly followed with one of the plates of food and a fork. The 18 year old nodded gratefully and stabbed at the food on the plate. Despite the queasy feeling in her stomach, she started to eat, hoping that the food would help to absorb whatever was left in her bloodstream.

"So, what're we going to do for the rest of the day?" Chloe asked excitedly, looking between her girlfriend and her younger sister.

_**Thanks for the great response I've gotten so far on this story. Please let me know what you think so far/what you'd like to see in the next chapter. Thank you**_


	8. Chapter 8

"Okay, no. I'm not spending the day with the two of you. I'm drawing the line right there." Jaiden shook her head and took another bite of her breakfast. Despite her stomach's initial resistance to the idea of eating, she had to admit that she was feeling a little less nauseous now that there was something in it.

"Well neither one of us are going to let you stumble your way across campus. So I think you are." Chloe replied with a shrug, taking a sip of her own coffee.

"Look, you might have Beca wrapped around your finger, but not me. The whole 'sparkly smile, big blue eyes thing' isn't working." The younger girl deadpanned. She crossed her arms in front of herself after setting down her fork and waited for Chloe's response. The redhead took a moment to compose her answer before giving Jaiden another pearly white grin.

"Audition for the Bellas," Jaiden's eyes widened and she scoffed before taking another bite of her breakfast. "I'm serious. I'll back off if you join the Bellas." Chloe's tone was nothing but serious and Beca nearly choked on the scrambled eggs she had been picking out.

"Chloe, lay off." The tiny brunette warned, her eyes flickering towards Jaiden to gauge her younger sister's reaction. Jaiden swallowed the food in her mouth and took her time sipping at her coffee before turning her gaze to Beca.

"Did you tell her I could sing literally right after I asked you not to?" Her voice was laced with irritation and she stared the older Mitchell down questioningly. Beca straightened up immediately and shook her head at the accusation.

"No, I swear I didn't. I didn't ask her to do any of this," Beca whipped around to look at Chloe. "Can you seriously _stop_?"

"So you _can _sing!" The redhead exclaimed triumphantly, completely ignoring her girlfriend's request. Both Beca and Jaiden rolled their eyes practically simultaneously.

"Not the point, asshole. You aren't going to back off if I join the acapella thing because then I'll have to hang out with both of you even more." Jaiden huffed. Her frustration was growing more and more by the minute, fueled by Chloe's unwillingness to stop combined with her inability to leave. Beca, picking up on her agitation, stood up from the table and grabbed Chloe by the arm.

"Excuse us for a minute." She nodded at Jaiden before dragging Chloe into their bedroom and shutting the door.

"What are you doing, she was about to give in." Chloe whined, gesturing back towards the kitchen. Beca stared at her incredulously before laughing in stale amusement.

"No, she's about to completely shut down. She and I already talked while you were cooking and she agreed to at least be civil. You're pushing her too much. Please Chloe, just back off." The desperation in her voice was enough for Chloe to realize that Beca was serious and quite possibly about to freak out at the fact she felt like she was about to lose Jaiden for good.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, Beca. What do you want me to do?" Chloe apologized quickly, hoping to avoid the ensuing meltdown. She watched the panic on her girlfriend's face fade as Beca calmed down and got a hold of herself. However, the sound of their door slamming shut broke the two out of their conversation and Beca was immediately caught in a panic once more. Her tiny form bolted back out into the kitchen, down the small hall, and out the front door. Chloe followed close behind, trying to ignore the guilt that she may have been a little too forward, and found Beca hurrying down the hall.

"Jaiden! Jaiden, wait up, please." Beca pleaded, jogging after her younger sister. The 18 year old had gone a surprising distance and was nearly to the stairway door before the DJ caught up to her.

"I said we could be civil. I'm not going to hang out with you today. We're not doing that. I can get back to my dorm by myself. Just lay off." Jaiden whirled around at the door and met her sister face to face. Beca faltered in her steps and froze, paralyzed by an uncertainty about what to do. If she insisted on walking her back, Jaiden might actually get fed up and cut her off again. But if she just let her go, Beca wasn't certain she could make it back to her dorm without either getting lost or falling over. Chloe caught up to them as she was mulling over her options and she quickly read the situation.

"I'll take you back then. Just to make sure you get there safe." The redhead offered. The tension between the two sisters diffused; both of them accepting the option as a compromise.

"Fine. Can we just go?" Jaiden mumbled, pushing on the door to the stairwell. Chloe nodded quickly, gave Beca a kiss on the cheek to calm her nerves, and followed Jaiden down the first flight of stairs. She watched carefully as the younger girl maneuvered her way down, clinging to the railing like a lifeline. The drugs obviously still hadn't worn off yet completely, but Jaiden was trying damn hard to make it seem like they had.

"How long is it going to take you before you ask for a little help?" Chloe asked curiously. Jaiden had paused at the bottom of their second to last flight of stairs and held herself up against the wall unsteadily.

"I'm good." She murmured in a half assed defense. Chloe rolled her eyes, noticing distinct traces of Beca's stubbornness in the younger girl, and stopped next to her.

"Of course, when you fall down this last set of stairs and crack your head open, I'll have to drag your little butt all the way to the hospital. And then I'll have to call Beca, and your dad, and they'll-"

"Oh my God, fine," Jaiden sighed. "Please help me."

"I'd be happy to." Chloe flashed a please smile as she hooked an arm around her girlfriend's younger sister and escorted her over to the top of the stairs. The two of them made their way down them slowly, with Jaiden eventually allowing herself to lean on Chloe with each step. With the biggest obstacle out of the way, they started out of the dorm lobby and out into the late morning sun. Campus was teaming with students, most of which were relaxing on the grassy patches out front. Jaiden squinted against the bright sunlight and fought another wave of sickness as they travelled down the sidewalk.

"So what do I have to do to get you to join the Bellas?" Chloe turned her head to look at the freshman as she led her towards the first year dorms.

"Not happening. Why would I want to put myself in a situation where I had to spend more time with either of you? I mean, you're already stalking me."

"I'm serious. Do you want to fix things with Beca? Because she wants to. And I know you're her sister, but I'm her girlfriend. I love her, and I think somewhere, you do too, but if you really don't want any part of this, then I'm not going to watch her get hurt. So if you really do want to build a relationship with her again, join the Bellas. Get to know her. Get to know me. Watch her do something she loves." Chloe's smile disappeared as her voice took on a solemn note. Jaiden rested in her silence as they entered the freshmen dorms and she fished her ID out of her back pocket. After being cleared for admittance, they barely managed to conquer the one flight of steps to Jaiden's floor.

"When are auditions?" Jaiden asked at last as they came to her door. Chloe's eyebrows rose in surprise and she watched the 18 year old unlock her door.

"Monday at six in the auditorium. The song this year is Proud Mary, so have like 8 bars of that ready." Jaiden suppressed an eye roll and pulled out of Chloe's grasp. The redhead noticed even more of Beca in the younger girl as she pursed her lips and sighed. Before Jaiden could shut the door, Chloe pushed it back open gently and hugged her. The freshmen tensed in surprise and reluctance, but didn't shove her away. Chloe gave her one last squeeze before pulling back and meeting her gaze sincerely.

"Thank you. Feel better." Jaiden nodded again, obviously still uncomfortable, and shut her dorm room door.

_**Thanks for all the follows and favorites! I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. Please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions, my inbox is open **_


	9. Chapter 9

"Do you think she's coming?" Beca murmured, watching as their next to last candidate for this year's Bella's exited the stage. When they had received the signup sheet, Jaiden's name had not been among the ones listed. In fact, neither Beca nor Chloe had been able to track down the freshmen in the last few days. When they "stopped by" her dorm, the 18 year old was always conveniently missing.

"She seemed like it." Chloe replied, infusing her voice with optimism. Though truthfully, the redhead was beginning to doubt whether or not Jaiden was sincere when she had given in. She glanced up from her clipboard briefly as a young man stepped onto the stage for the Treblemakers.

"What if she just said all that stuff to us so that she could get away? What if she didn't mean any of it?" Beca's voice was a hushed whisper, but Chloe could still hear the insecurity ringing through it. The older girl sighed before intertwining her fingers with Beca's.

"Don't freak yourself out, Becs. She and I had a talk too, and I really don't think she's just going to go back on everything." Beca rolled her eyes and looked away from the stage, where she had politely been pretending to pay attention.

"Have you met the Mitchell's? Bailing is like, our number one talent." She scoffed. Chloe frowned, watching Beca get more and more self-deprecating by the second.

"No, I think that's music. Do you have her number?" Chloe chastised gently. Beca shook her head sadly; a bit embarrassed that she didn't even have her own sister's number.

"We should just leave. All of the girls have gone and she's obviously not coming." The tiny brunette began to stand up, fighting back the disappointment she had been desperately trying to prepare herself for. Chloe reached up and snagged her arm, holding her in place. She tugged Beca back into her seat and the younger girl huffed in irritation.

"Don't storm out. And even if she doesn't show up, don't shut me out tonight. I know you're upset and I am too. But if you want, we can go camp out at her dorm all night. She's bound to come back sometime." Chloe kept her grip on Beca's arm and gave it a gentle squeeze, hoping that something she said was at least a bit of a comfort to her. The brunette remained silent and slid down in her seat, wanting nothing more than to go curl up in her bed and sleep for a few hours.

"Thank you! Thanks for your time! We'll be in touch shortly." Jesse's voice rang out from the back of the auditorium as he dismissed the last singer. The scrawny boy on the stage nodded gratefully and hurried off, leaving the black performance space empty. Beca chewed her bottom lip as the boys in the back stood up and headed towards the exit. She knew that as much as she wanted to go back to her dorm and pass out, she had a long night ahead of her with the Bellas, choosing their new recruitments.

"I'm so sorry." Chloe murmured, leaning to the side and pressing a chaste kiss on her temple.

"You bitches ready to go?" Cynthia popped up from the seat behind them and interrupted the sad silence. Beca straightened up in her seat and hesitated, wanting to stay for a little longer.

"Yeah, I think so." Chloe answered for her and pulled Beca to her feet. The redhead shifted her grasp from Beca's forearm to her own hand and squeezed it. They had just started towards the back exit, following the other girls, when the sound of the stage door opening echoed in the empty auditorium. Beca's heart rate spiked and she whirled around to see Jaiden stepping out onto the stage slowly.

"Hey." The freshmen nodded a bit awkwardly and stepped up to the apron of the stage. She met her older sister's gaze for a few seconds before looking at the other singers.

"Sup girl, you here to sing?" Cynthia spoke up, walking back down the aisle and towards the stage. Jaiden nodded and glanced around.

"Yeah. Sorry, I'm a little late." She replied with a shrug.

"What's your name?" Stacie asked. The group of singers migrated back towards the front of the seats and sat down. Beca shot a nervous glance at Chloe as they followed. She hadn't exactly thought about having to explain herself having a sister to all of the other girls, and now the thought of it had her stomach twisting with anxiety.

"Jaiden. Jaiden Mitchell." Beca could practically feel every eye in the room land on her as her sister introduced herself.

"Whoa. Beca, is she your sister?" Fat Amy gawked in between the siblings, voicing what everyone else in the room was thinking.

"Yeah, I am." Jaiden piped up, drawing the attention back to herself. She could tell that Beca was getting more and more overwhelmed by the second, and as much as she was trying to keep some distance between the two of them, she couldn't stand to watch her squirm like that.

"Well we all know who got the height genes." Stacie smirked, glancing down at Beca. The tiny brunette forced a laugh, realizing that no one other than Chloe could pick up on the strained relationship between the two of them. She gradually began to feel the knot in her stomach untwist itself and Chloe's grip on her hand relaxed.

"Alright Baby Mitchell, show us your stuff." Cynthia waved her hand in a gesture to proceed and the Bellas took their seats. Jaiden took a deep breath, trying not to think about how long it had been since she had sung in front of Beca. The 18 year old shifted her gaze to the back wall of the auditorium and focused on the glowing exit sign.

"_Ooh, I left a good job in the city, workin' for the man every night and day,_

_But I never lost one minute of sleepin, worrying bout the way things might have been. _

_Big wheels keep on turnin, ooh Proud Mary keep on burnin,_

_And we're rolling, ooh we're rolling, rollin on the river."_

Jaiden finished her small arrangement and finally tore her gaze away from the exit sign. She was careful to avoid Beca's eyes, knowing her face would burn red if she looked at the older girl.

"Can we all agree just to let her in now, or?" Stacie broke the silence that followed the end of the audition and looked around at the rest of the Bellas. Each of them nodded immediately, knowing that the decision would be unanimous if a vote was taken.

"Jaiden Mitchell, congratulations. You are the first of this year's new Bellas." Chloe stood up and grinned at her girlfriend's younger sister, clutching her clipboard to her chest in excitement. Jaiden offered a half smile and nodded before hopping down off of the stage. The resemblance between her and Beca was as evident as ever as she uncomfortably accepted an invasive group hug from some of the girls.

"So how come we've never heard about you?" Fat Amy asked, shooting a questioning look towards Beca. Once again taking the heat, Jaiden smirked and shrugged.

"I think she wanted me to be a surprise. And it's always hard for her to admit her younger sister is taller and wears more eyeliner." The 18 year old answered charismatically. She shot an obviously staged wink at Beca before looking towards the door.

"Well, I've got some plans for tonight, but it was really nice to meet you guys. I'll see you around." She waved her goodbye smoothly and excused herself from the crowd. She had nearly made it away before Chloe caught her arm and pulled her back.

"Oh no, you're getting an early initiation tonight. Party in our dorm!" The redhead announced loudly. The Bella's cheered loudly in approval and despite her protests, Jaiden was swept out of the auditorium by the crowd of singers.

"Sorry." Beca murmured as they stepped out into the evening air. Now that the burden of auditions were over, the Bellas were full of excitement for the year and even more excited to get drunk together. Jaiden looked towards her and shook her head.

"I kind of figured I'd get sucked into something like this. Let's just act normal and keep our distance for tonight, okay?" Jaiden replied quietly. Beca nodded, a little disappointed at her subtle hostility, and hurried to catch up with Chloe.

"Don't force anything tonight." She whispered into the redhead's ear pleadingly. Chloe, who was leading the rowdy group of singers to their dorm, turned from her conversation with Fat Amy and her smile faltered a bit.

"I won't. Everything okay?" The redhead muttered. Beca nodded and slid her arm around Chloe's waist in an attempt to relax.

* * *

"1, 2, 3, go!" Beca and Chloe each through their shots back before slamming their glasses onto their kitchen table. The older Bellas had been drinking from practically the second they had reached the dorm and music pounded throughout the small living space. Beca had lost track of Jaiden a while ago, a little relieved that Chloe wasn't trying to push them together, and now with enough alcohol in her system, she decided it would be best to try to find her. The small brunette stood up and stumbled before catching herself on the nearest chair.

"Whoa, slow down killer. Where are you going?" Cynthia laughed, watching as she nearly biffed it.

"Gotta find my little sister. She's a lightweight." She explained, her words slurring together despite her attempt to act more sober than she felt. The table erupted with laughter and Chloe pulled Beca down onto her lap.

"Beca, you are the lightest of all lightweights. Besides, she and Stacie disappeared like 20 minutes ago, if you catch my drift. She takes after you in more ways than one." Chloe arched an eyebrow suggestively and smirked. Beca's eyes widened and she looked around the kitchen for the first time, noticing finally that Stacie was gone too.

"Oh my God. No…she's like, getting it." The brunette placed her hand to her forehead in bewilderment as her fellow singers laughed.

"Should we sneak up on them?" Fat Amy suggested drunkenly. The young women all exchanged glances before shouting their agreements and clamoring to get up from the table.

"Someone get their camera." Cynthia winked. They began down towards the bedroom, only to find the door open and the beds empty. It was then that Beca noticed the closed bathroom door and grinned. The tiny girl staggered over, leading the rest of her friends, and jiggled the door handle. She heard giggles behind her and the sound of voices from inside the bathroom.

"_Get some!_" Fat Amy shouted, slamming her open hand on the door. The sound of the lock clicking from inside caused the drunken Bellas to all jump back, waiting for one of them to step out. Eventually it opened, and Stacie stepped out, leading an obviously wasted Jaiden behind her.

"Fuck you guys." The freshmen flipped the group of singers off as Stacie pulled her past them and into the kitchen. A chorus of hoots and whistling followed them as they made their way past them and Beca couldn't help but feel a surge of protectiveness as she watched Jaiden hop up onto the counter in front of the taller girl. Chloe, apparently sensing her girlfriend's loss of amusement, wrapped her arms around her waist.

"They're fine." The redhead assured her. Beca locked her jaw, but nodded, knowing that Jaiden was smart enough to make her own decisions.

"Just keep an eye on them." She replied worriedly. Chloe nodded and with that, the two of them joined the group in the kitchen again.

_**Let me know what you guys think!**_


	10. Chapter 10

"Chloe, Stacie's like, _all over her_." Beca frowned and tugged on her girlfriend's arm. She had been staring down Jaiden's impromptu date for the entire night, trying to act as uncaring as possible, but seeing her sister like that was an entirely new thing to handle. Chloe broke away from her current conversation and looked in the direction that Beca was staring off to.

"She's an adult now, babe. She can make her own choices." Chloe shrugged. The alcohol in her system had lowered her ability to pick up on whatever was going on through Beca's head. Besides, when the redhead got drunk, it only took a matter of time before she was trying to drag it to the bedroom. "Let's go." She purred, dragging her fingertips across Beca's thigh lightly.

"Sure, what the hell?" Beca gave in, tearing her eyes away from her sister's compromising position on their couch. She could hardly see her sister under Stacie's tall form anyways. The tiny brunette stood up and took her girlfriend by the waist. Trying to ignore the fact that she wouldn't be able to keep an eye on Jaiden anymore, she followed Chloe to their bedroom and locked the door behind them. The redhead whirled around clumsily once they were alone inside and smirked suggestively. Beca leaned back against the door and watched as her girlfriend slowly closed the distance between them.

"Just relax, baby. You should be happy tonight. She showed up and now you're going to get to see her at practices." Chloe murmured before pressing her lips to Beca's neck. If her words couldn't get the brunette to relax, she was going to find another way. The redhead felt Beca practically melt under her touch and smirked against the crook of her neck.

"I am…I am happy about it." Beca replied breathily, arching her head back as Chloe's lips made their way down to the collar of her plaid shirt. The older girl hands came up from Beca's waist and began to expertly undo the buttons. The brunette shrugged out of the red and black clothing, remaining only in a black tank top. Chloe leaned back long enough to help her pull it up over her head and then kissed her girlfriend on the lips passionately. Beca moaned against the older girl's lips and slipped her hands under the light sweater that she was wearing. Chloe broke away from the kiss and grinned as she pulled Beca over to the bed.

* * *

"Round 2?" Jaiden was pulled out of her drunken thoughts by the girl on her lap's suggestion. The 18 year old had noticed that Beca had disappeared a little bit ago and she had been toying with the idea of leaving.

"I'm down. How about we find somewhere a little more private though? My dorm isn't that far." The freshman replied smoothly. She now had the perfect excuse to escape, plus the added bonus of taking Stacie with her. The taller brunette bit her bottom lip and glanced around the rowdy room, figuring that no one would notice if they slipped out now.

"Mine's downstairs. Let's go before your watchdog sister comes back out." Stacie stood up and pulled Jaiden up by her waist. The 18 year old stumbled on her feet initially, but caught herself on Stacie and began towards the door with her.

"Sorry about her. Things, uh, they aren't really that good with our family. This is the first time I've seen her in years." Jaiden slurred, not really registering that she was starting to talk about the Beca situation. Stacie quietly shut the door behind them in the hallway and they started towards the stairs, veering to the left and right as they walked.

"Is that the reason she's so angsty all the time?" The older girl laughed. Jaiden snickered as they made it into the stairwell and carefully started down the stairs. "Don't think this is the start of a relationship or anything, by the way. I don't do those." She added bluntly.

"Me neither. Friends with benefits though?" Jaiden arched an eyebrow as she pulled open the stairwell door for the older girl. Stacie glanced down at her and nodded.

"I can manage that."

* * *

"Yo Beca, Stacie and your little sis bailed while you two were getting nasty. And now that y'all are done, the rest of us are heading out too." Cynthia greeted the short brunette as she and Chloe wandered back into the main area of their dorm. The look that overcame Beca's face went unnoticed by everyone except for her girlfriend as the group of singers all managed to get to their feet and file out the door. Chloe waved goodbye with an intoxicated smile, satisfied with how the night had gone.

"I can't believe she just left." Beca mumbled, tears glistening in her eyes. Chloe turned in surprise and froze as she realized how drunk her girlfriend was. The younger girl had only cried a handful of times in front of Chloe, and the majority of the instances had involved large amounts of booze.

"Becs, don't. I'm sure…I'm sure she didn't mean it in a bad way. She's just getting laid." Chloe stepped in front of her girlfriend and put a hand on each her shoulders. She could feel Beca begin to shake with held back sobs and sobered significantly.

"She's n-never going to love me." Beca stammered out. Chloe pulled her into a tight embrace, smelling the alcohol rolling off of her girlfriend, and realized that she needed to get her a glass of water and into bed.

"She already does, baby." The redhead replied as she steered Beca into their bedroom. She sat the crying drunk down on their bed and hurried into the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of water out of their fridge, she made it back as fast as she could and handed it to Beca after unscrewing the cap for her. The smaller girl reluctantly began to sip at it, watching Chloe as she searched through their drawers for a change of clothes for the both of them.

"I don't want to change." Beca whined. Chloe rolled her eyes and turned back around to look at her.

"You at least need to take off the stuff you're wearing. I don't want our entire bed to smell like the beer you spilled down your shirt." The redhead chastised gently. Beca rolled her eyes, set down her half empty water bottle on the bed, and began the seemingly difficult process of getting out of her clothes. Chloe watched for a good two minutes, half amused and half pitying, as Beca struggled with her own skinny jeans.

"You're so helpless when you're wasted." She chuckled, crossing the room and hooking her fingers in the waist of Beca's jeans. She slid them off of the brunette easily and then helped her out of her shirt. Beca sprawled out, now only in her bra and underwear, and buried her face in one of their pillows.

"Why did you say she loves me?" Beca asked quietly as Chloe turned out the lights and stripped out of her own clothes. The redhead waited until she was comfortably in bed next to her girlfriend to answer. Wrapping an arm around Beca, she sighed and pulled the younger girl closer.

"Because she came to that audition for you, Beca. You think she wants to be in the Bellas? I know I don't know her as well as you do, but I get a feeling that acapella singing isn't really her style. There was no other reason for her to join except for her sister." Chloe explained her reasoning softly, rubbing her thumbs over Beca's hips.

"For me?" The tiny brunette questioned, her voice hinting at insecurity. Chloe felt a pang of sadness at the side of Beca that always came out when she got drunk. It was practically the only time the tiny brunette allowed herself to be completely vulnerable in front of her and everything that she worked so hard to hide always came spilling out. It broke Chloe's heart every time.

"Mmhmm." Chloe hummed softly, placing a kiss on the back of Beca's neck. "Let yourself sleep, Becs."

"Okay. I love you, Chloe." The intoxicated girl relented. She relaxed back against Chloe and yawned before falling quiet.

"I know you do." Fighting the heaviness in her own eyelids, the redhead waited until she heard Beca's breathing even out and she was sure that she was completely asleep before allowing herself to close her eyes.

_**Thank you all for your support on this story. I'd love to hear what you guys think, so please feel free to leave a review or drop by my inbox with feedback and suggestions. I'd be glad to incorporate some of them into the plot. Thank you!**_


	11. Chapter 11

Jaiden bit her bottom lip in concentration as she slowly and silently pulled the dorm room door shut. She had managed to wake up before Stacie; successfully avoiding the walk of shame and awkward morning after conversation that followed drunken nights. After closing the door with only a quiet click, Jaiden breathed a sigh of relief and hurried down the hall. Her head pounded and she wanted nothing more than to get something for breakfast and sleep through her 10 AM class. The freshman trotted down the single flight of stairs that led to the building's lobby and squinted at the bright sunlight shining in through the glass doors. As soon as her eyes adjusted, she spotted a bead of bright red hair heading towards her and sighed.

"Jaiden! You're up so early." Chloe's voice was loud and terribly, terribly awake. Her blue eyes shone brightly as she offered her girlfriend's younger sister a smile while subtly trying to assess how hungover she was.

"Yeah, well, I'm trying to make it to at least some of my classes." The younger girl replied. The smell of food hit her suddenly and she noticed the two Styrofoam boxes in Chloe's hands. Practically reading her mind, Chloe held up one of them and pushed it towards Jaiden.

"I went out to grab Beca and I something for breakfast, but you obviously need this more than I do. Trust me, after your freshman year, it'll take a lot more to get you this hungover." Chloe chuckled, forcing the box into Jaiden's hands despite her initial protests. The 18 year old eventually gave in as she felt her stomach growl at the smell of the food inside of the carry out box.

"Well, thanks. How's she feeling this morning?" Jaiden ventured carefully. Though she wasn't particularly worried about the older girl, she felt that it was at least polite to ask, considering Chloe had just given her a free breakfast. The redhead smiled, seemingly pleased that she had asked, and shrugged.

"Miserable, like she usually is after she drinks," Chloe's voice took on a more serious note. "She was kind of upset after you disappeared last night." Jaiden sighed, having figured that she'd eventually get scolded by the older girl for leaving.

"You know how it is though. Stacie's hot." The defense was weak, but it was the only one she had. Chloe, knowing she couldn't argue with that reasoning, nodded her agreement.

"When's your last class today?" The redhead changed the subject suddenly, catching Jaiden a bit off guard. The freshman struggled to remember exactly what her schedule was, since she still wasn't used to the new routine, and eventually recalled her Tuesday schedule.

"I've got a Psych lecture that ends at 4. Why?" Jaiden asked suspiciously.

"Come and grab a coffee with me. I want to talk to you for a bit." Chloe pleaded. She glanced down at the box in Jaiden's hand and then back up at her in a sly attempt to remind her that she was getting a free breakfast. Jaiden rolled her eyes at the older girl's guilt trip and sighed as she realized that she had to give in.

"Fine. I'll meet you at Starbucks at like, 4:30," Jaiden relented. "You aren't bringing her though, right?"

"Not if you really don't want me to."

"I don't. If you want to talk about something, it's just going to be you and me." Jaiden replied firmly. She knew that she couldn't keep allowing the redhead to push her into uncomfortable situations, despite the guilt she felt when she refused to give in.

"Perfect. I'll see you then." Chloe beamed, rushing past her and towards the stairwell. Jaiden watched her go, with no doubt that she would be telling Beca every detail of the encounter the moment she got into their room. Shaking her head, Jaiden opened the box in her hands and started outside. Fortunately for her, there was already a plastic fork inside and she began on the mess of pancakes, bacon, sausage, and eggs hungrily as she walked to class. She had just reached the end of the sidewalk outside of the dorms when she heard a voice calling her name loudly from behind her. Turning around, she watched in dismay as Chloe booked it towards her.

"Hey! I grabbed you a coffee off of the stand in our lobby. I hope black is okay." The redhead panted, holding up a plastic insulated cup. Jaiden's eyes widened in surprise at the thoughtful gesture and she took the hot beverage gratefully.

"You're making it incredibly hard to dislike you. Like I told myself I would, since you're her girlfriend and all and you totally hit my car." The dark haired girl admitted. Unsure of whether or not to take the statement as a compliment, Chloe's smile faltered for only a second.

"Thank you, I think. Have a great day. I'll see you later." Chloe turned around and bounced back into her building. Jaiden glanced down at her watch and swore under her breath quietly, knowing that she would have to haul ass in order to grab her bag and make it to her class on time.

* * *

Hauling ass apparently wasn't enough, because by the time Jaiden entered the lecture hall, she was a good 10 minutes late. Her cheeks burned red as she took the first available seat she could find and sat down. Jaiden jugged her half eaten breakfast, coffee, and backpack in an attempt to organize everything and ignore the several students who were still staring at her.

"Rough night?" Jaiden glanced up from her belongings at the quiet whisper next to her. A girl she hadn't even noticed when she sat down was staring at her in mild amusement, taking in her manner of disarray. The freshman blushed even further and nodded in admittance.

"Yeah. Acapella group initiation nights can get a little wild." _Ugh, why the hell did you say that? _Jaiden internally grimaced at her terrible reply, though the girl next to her chuckled.

"So you're a singer, huh? I'm Amber, by the way." The blonde inquired with a curious smile. The droning on of their professor quickly faded to the background as Jaiden found herself immediately intrigued by the new face.

"Jaiden. And yeah, you could say that. Acapella's not really my style, but I kind of got suckered into it." She explained.

"Can you two shut the hell up or move seats?" A hushed, immensely irritated whisper came from behind the two girls and Jaiden turned around to see a boy in a bright pink polo glaring at them. She exchanged a glance with Amber before falling silent and attempting to pay attention to the introduction that her professor was giving.

* * *

Hours of information and one quick lunch break later, Jaiden finally stepped out of her last classroom, psych text book in hand. She glanced around the sunny campus tiredly, wishing that she hadn't agreed to get coffee with Chloe. For one, she didn't exactly trust that her sister wasn't going to somehow show up. Secondly, she was simply exhausted from her classes and wanted to go back to her dorm and crash.

"Jaiden! Jaiden!" The freshman clenched her eyes shut at the sound of her father's voice and she froze in her tracks on the sidewalk. Turning around, Jaiden scowled at the man hurrying towards her, an expression painted on his face. She had managed to avoid him since their brief encounter in her dorm, and she had been beginning to hope he'd stay out of her way until the end of the year. Jaiden had virtually no desire to have any sort of contact with Dr. Mitchell-which she insisted on referring to him as, even in her thoughts-since he had completely ignored her situation.

"What do you want?" She asked irritably. The professor stopped in front of her, a bit winded, and smiled at her hopefully.

"I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me tonight. I was about to call Beca and invite her too-"

"No thanks, I've got plans. See you later." Jaiden cut him off and turned to go, suddenly thankful that Chloe had suckered her into something after class. Although she didn't mind hurting the older man's feelings, having a real excuse certainly helped her case. A hand on her arm stopped her train of thought and Jaiden locked her jaw immediately.

"Jaiden, please just-"

"Get your fucking hand off of me, for starters. I'm meeting someone for coffee, and even if I wasn't, I wouldn't be going anywhere with you. Just leave me the hell alone." Jaiden's eyes refused to waiver from her father's. Dr. Mitchell's eyes widened at the hostility in his daughter's voice and he released his grip on her arm quickly. Jaiden began to walk away, only breaking her gaze away once she was completely turned around, and started towards Barden's Starbucks.

By the time Jaiden had reached the café, she was still angry from her encounter with her father. The 18 year old shoved her way through the door and scanned the packed coffee shop for her sister's girlfriend. She caught sight of the redhead across the room and saw that she already had two cups sitting at their table. Temper dying down a little, Jaiden attempted to wipe the glare from her face and weaved her way through the long line to reach her.

"Hey, what took you so long? I got you the same thing you ordered last time so you wouldn't have to wait in that line." Chloe perked up once she caught sight of Jaiden, though she could tell by the girl's demeanor that she was upset about something. The younger girl sat down at the table and nodded her thanks before taking a drink. "Rough day?" Chloe prodded.

"You could say that. I ran into Beca's dad on my way here." Jaiden sighed, wincing as the hot coffee burned her tongue. Chloe frowned in confusion.

"Wait, isn't he your dad?"

"He stopped being my father the day he decided not to do anything about what Beca told him." Jaiden replied defensively. "Speaking of her, what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I want to know what you want out of all of this. I know admitting everything you're feeling to Beca might seem overwhelming, so you can tell me." Chloe took a sip after her explanation and looked at Jaiden expectantly. The younger girl crossed her arms in front of her and pursed her lips.

"What do you mean, 'everything I'm feeling'?" Skeptism was evident in her words.

"Like…how are you feeling about Beca? What do you want from her?" Chloe elaborated. Jaiden scoffed and shook her head in response.

"Seriously?" Jaiden asked. Her tone resembled one of bitter amusement and she stared at Chloe in disbelief. "What do _I _want from her? I don't want _anything_ from her. You are the one who's been forcing all of this. I'd be fine if I never heard from her, or her dad, or anyone one else in this shitty family, but you won't leave it alone!" Jaiden stood up from her chair and slung her backpack over her shoulder. The anger that had slightly faded during her walk to the coffee shop was back, except now it was directed at Chloe. The shocked redhead stood up as well, not wanting Jaiden to storm out before she could at least try to calm her down.

"Woah, woah, I thought you and Beca had a talk? She seems to think you'd at least like to try to work on things." Chloe followed the now fleeing 18 year old out of the Starbucks and attempted to catch up to her. She caught onto Jaiden's arm and suddenly found herself face to face with the slightly taller girl. Jaiden had whirled around practically the second she had caught her and from the look in her eyes, grabbing her had _not _been a good move.

"Fuck Beca! Stop trying to fix this shit that she got herself into! It's her own damn fault I can't stand her-"

"Woah, woah, Chloe, what's going-_Jaiden_?" Jaiden paused at an unfamiliar voice and turned to see a man approaching them. He was looking between her and Chloe in concern and hurried to close the distance between them.

"Who the hell are you and how do you know my name?" She demanded suspiciously. The man held his hands up in a fake "don't shoot" position and he stepped back. Jaiden took the distraction as an opportunity and yanked her arm out of Chloe's hand.

"I'm Jesse. I, um, I used to date your sister." He explained with an awkward smile. Rubbing the back of his neck, his smile vanished when he saw the hurt look on Chloe's face.

"She told you?" The redhead questioned quietly.

"What _did _she tell you?" Jaiden reiterated. The last thing she needed was for Beca to spread her entire past to the whole student body.

"Just, you know, the family situation and stuff. I swear I'm not a creep or anything, Beca just showed me a picture of the two of you when you were younger once." Jesse replied. Reading the two girls' emotions, Jesse took a few steps back and waved. "Well, I've obviously helped enough here." With that, the man hurried away from them. Jaiden followed his actions quickly, managing to escape without Chloe protesting. Once the redhead realized that she was alone, she pulled out her phone and began to walk aimlessly down one of the sidewalks. Pressing Beca's name in her contacts, she then held the phone to her ear and waited for the younger girl to pick up.

"_Hey babe." _Beca answered on the second ring.

"You told Jesse about Jaiden?" Chloe could hear her girlfriend's guilt through the silence that lasted the next few seconds. She managed to pick up a quiet huff from the brunette's end of the line, which only made her feel worse.

"_Yeah. I was…I was having a rough night and there was alcohol involved."_

"So is booze just going to be your excuse for everything from now on, or what? Has it ever occurred to you that maybe you should stop drinking?" Chloe snapped, surprising herself even with her quick outburst.

"_Chloe, what's the big deal? I never said you were the only other person in the world who knew."_

"But you could just tell him while I had to force it out of you? Do you trust him more? Is that it?" Chloe grimaced at the paranoia evident in her voice. Usually, she was able to keep her anxiety at bay, fighting off the automatic thoughts the way her high school therapist had taught her back in her teen years. But when Beca pulled things like this, it was hard not to let her insecurities take over.

"_I'm not going to fight with you about this. You know I love you_-"

"Yeah, because you make it so obvious. Well congrats Beca, you can have the alone time you obviously crave because our room is yours tonight." Chloe felt her face get even warmer as her blood rushed to it.

"_What do you mean? Where are you going_?"

"To get wasted. It seems to work for you." With that, Chloe hung up on the younger girl and shoved her phone in her purse. The redhead held back a few anger-drawn tears and took a moment to compose herself before turning and heading in the direction of the nearest bar to campus.

_**Lots of possibilities open for the next chapter! Let me know what you'd like to see and what you think so far! I love hearing feedback from you guys and it totally helps me write. Plus I'm seeing PP 2 tomorrow again, so expect a late night update **_


	12. Chapter 12

"Another round, miss?" Chloe glanced up from her empty glass at the sound of the bartender's voice nodded. She watched through blurry vision as he pulled out of the bottles off of the shelf in the back and poured it into her glass. The redhead gave a half smile gratefully as he slid the alcohol back to her and took a few gulps. It was her fifth drink, and she truly didn't taste the whiskey anymore. Luckily, the bar was pretty much dead since it was a Tuesday night and she had three bar stools between herself and the nearest patron.

Chloe became immersed in her thoughts and in the booze in her system. Her mind went on a loop; wondering why Beca was the way she was, wondering why they were even together if she couldn't trust her, and wondering why she had even bothered to help with her family. Beca never appreciated anything she did-ever. She knew Beca would go to the ends of the earth for her, but the fact that the younger girl refused assistance in return hurt. She always thought that if she could just keep pushing, letting Beca know that she was here to stay, then eventually maybe the amateur DJ would let her in.

"Shit, you're wasted." Chloe flinched at the hand on her shoulder and nearly fell off of the bar stool when she tried to turn around. The drunken girl let her jaw drop in unhidden surprise as she came face to face with Jaiden.

"What're..what're you doing here?" She slurred. Ignoring the question, Jaiden took the seat next to her and pulled her wallet out of her purse. Flashing a plastic card from her wallet, the girl requested a beer and then slipped it away. Chloe watched the simple exchange in utter confusion. "You're 18."

"That's not what my ID says." Jaiden shrugged. Chloe frowned at her younger companion as she thanked the bartender for her drink and took a swig.

"You're a little sneaky." The redhead noted, fumbling for her own glass. Jaiden watched, a bit concerned for the glass's wellbeing, and Chloe barely managed to drain it without dropping it to the floor.

"How much have you had tonight?"

"That was her fifth, and after her ninth, I'm cutting her off. I assume you'll be taking care of her?" The bartender interjected. Jaiden's eyes widened, but she nodded, knowing that she couldn't leave her unattended at this point.

"So Beca isn't here then? You two have a fight or something?" Jaden asked, intrigued by the bartender's hint that she was alone. Chloe rolled her eyes and snapped at the bartender. The man grunted in annoyance, filled her glass again and then held up three fingers at Jaiden.

"Yeah. Cause she doesn't _trust _me." Chloe sighed. "Can I have a straw?" Jaiden nodded and reached across the bar to grab one before plopping it into her whiskey glass.

"This is about that guy from earlier, isn't it?" Jaiden guessed.

"She didn't show me a picture of you." Chloe's whined in response. Her bottom lip began to tremble and her younger companion looked away. Choosing instead to focus on her beer bottle to avoid the uncomfortable situation of watching the redhead cry, Jaiden began to peel at the small label.

"I think you're overreacting a little bit." She muttered, listening to Chloe slurp at her whiskey. A loud scoff came from the other girl and she snorted in laughter. Looking back up, Jaiden watched a few tears slip down her face as she continued to drink. Despite her better judgement, the 18 year old decided to let her go til her limit, knowing that if someone tried to stop her in this position, she'd be pissed. "So what's your plan for tonight? Get drunk and fall asleep outside the bar because you think you're not special enough for Beca?" She prodded, hoping to get Chloe to think about her current situation.

"Probably, yeah. She won't care anyways." The singer whimpered. She pushed her straw around with her tongue, trying to get the remaining liquid in her glass before the ice watered it down. Jaiden huffed in annoyance before catching the bartender's eye and nodding at the glass. He shot them both a skeptical look before refilling it and holding up two fingers.

"You know what, just bring them over. I'm sure she'll get there eventually." Jaiden requested. Chloe looked at her gratefully and clumsily moved her stool closer to the younger girl. Now with three glasses of whiskey in front of her, she looked like a regular alcoholic.

"You remind me off my step father right now." The brunette mumbled bitterly. A bit too intoxicated to catch the weight off the comment, Chloe slurped away at her 7th drink and leaned against her girlfriend's younger sister. Her eyelids were half closed and Jaiden could feel the heat rolling off of her companion. The bartender brought her over another beer and nodded at her sympathetically as she thanked him.

"Have you talked to your award winning girlfriend today?" Jaiden asked, drinking from her own bottle. She felt Chloe nod against her shoulder and waited for her to answer.

"Yes I did. And she knows I'm getting drunk and she didn't even wanna come look for me. You're a better girlfriend than her, you know?" Chloe rambled, looking upwards at the younger girl. She watched through blurry vision as Jaiden smirked and shook her head. And suddenly, her bottom lip was shaking again because it made her look like Beca. "Why doesn't she love me?" Her question was so quiet that Jaiden doubted for a few seconds that she had actually uttered it.

"She does. I'm sure she does. Take it from me-Beca's just lousy at showing it. We both are." Jaiden admitted. "Look, you can have your eighth one, and then _I'm _cutting you off. You're a hot mess right now-" The younger girl was cut off as Chloe lurched forward and grabbed her last two remaining glasses. The redhead downed them with impressive speed before Jaiden was able to react. Smiling triumphantly, Chloe threw both of her arms into the air and then nearly toppled off her stool. Jaiden managed to move in time to catch her by the waist and the older girl giggled.

"I don't think Beca would like this." She sang, using one hand to poke the younger girl's nose. Jaiden frowned in annoyance and then looked down at her hands, which she realized were on Chloe's waist. Afraid that if she released her grip, the intoxicated girl would drop, Jaiden found herself caught in a dilemma.

"Maybe I picked the wrong Mitchell…" Chloe's voice trailed off and her nearly closed eyes opened enough for Jaiden to catch sight of their blue hues. The hand that that touched her nose came down to trace a trail down her neck and onto her collar bone. Gulping and ignoring the twist in her abdomen, Jaiden shook her head and shifted her grip so that only one of her arms wrapped around Chloe's waist. The other one came up to take Chloe's wrist and stop her from going any further.

"Are you always this forward when you're drunk?" Chloe laughed and leaned her face closer to Jaiden's. The 18 year old could smell the whiskey rolling off of her breath and her eyes dropped down to her lips for a split second.

"Only when I want something." She purred in reply. Jaiden pulled out of the trance the redhead had nearly put her in and leaned away. This was her sister's girlfriend and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't do it. Not when she knew how devastated Chloe would be in the morning if she cheated. Without saying another word, Jaiden pulled Chloe's arm around her shoulders and kept her hold on her waist with the other. She began to drag the redhead towards the door while the bar's few amused patrons watched.

"Where are we going?" Chloe frowned as she realized that they were leaving. Jaiden struggled to shove through the door before turning her attention back to her inebriated companion.

"_You _are going back to your dorm and then I'm going back to mine. And then in the morning, you and Beca can talk out all of your feelings and everything will be great again, okay?" The last statement held an air of sarcasm that went far above Chloe's head. The older girl's head began to loll to the side and Jaiden came to a stop as Chloe's feet started to drag.

"Hey? Chloe? Can you at least stay awake long enough to get into bed?" Jostling the younger girl, Jaiden's expression quickly shifted from annoyed to concern. Chloe had practically fallen completely still, and she was slowly pulling the both of them downwards. Jaiden grunted in effort as she lifted her back into a mildly standing position. Chloe's head turned to the side and the 18 year old watched a stream of vomit trickle out of her mouth.

"Fuck. _Fuck_." Jaiden swore. She looked around the dark street frantically, but the small town was for the most part, empty. They were too far from campus for Jaiden to have any hope of dragging her back and the teen hesitated for only a second before sitting Chloe down against the wall of the closed shop beside them and pulling out her cellphone. The brunette dialed 911 and began to talk as soon as the operator picked up.

"Yeah, I need an ambulance outside of Mickey's Bar on Jane Boulevard. My, um, friend. I think she has alcohol poisoning…thanks, yeah, I know what to do. Please hurry." Jaiden hang up the phone and shoved it back into her pocket before kneeling down next to Chloe. The redhead was barely conscious, and her chin rested against her chest in an uncomfortable neck position.

"Chloe, you need to keep your eyes open, alright? Come here," Jaiden lifted Chloe's head up by the chin and lightly tapped the side of her face. The redhead's eyes fluttered open and she stared past Jaiden, completely out of it. A few seconds later, another wave of sickness hit her and she threw up weakly onto the sidewalk beside them.

"I'm going to call Beca, alright?" Jaiden reached into Chloe's front pocket and pulled out of her phone. Grateful that the redhead didn't have a lock on her phone, she scrolled through the contacts and found her sister's name. To her surprise, she got an answer a split second after the first ring.

"_Chloe? Are you alright? I'm sorry-"_

"Beca, it's Jaiden. Chloe's really messed up right now and we're waiting on an ambulance. I just figured you should know so you can meet her at the hospital." Jaiden cut her off quickly.

"_What? Oh my God, are you with her? This is my fault-let me talk to her." _

"She can't talk right now. Just get to the hospital, alright?" With that, Jaiden hung up the phone and stuck it in her own purse. Chloe had just finished throwing up again and she groaned pitifully. To Jaiden's relief, the sound of sirens became apparent in the background.

"She's going to meet you at the hospital, alright? You'll be fine." Jaiden assured her before standing up to look for the approaching vehicle. White and red lights flashed around the corner and she watched as an ambulance came into view and headed straight towards them. The 18 year old waved her arms to flag them down and breathed a sigh of relief as they stopped alongside the sidewalk.

_**Drama! I threw a little something in there for the Jaiden/Chloe shipper (fair warning: im not really planning on having them endgame). Let me know what you guys want to see in the next chapter!**_


	13. Chapter 13

"Come on, come on." Beca muttered under her breath as she came to another red light. The brunette did a quick glance towards the other lanes of the intersection and floored it through just in time to avoid a red sedan. Heart pounding in her chest from the close call, Beca glanced at the GPS that hung on the windshield. According to the time on the bottom of the screen, she was only two minutes away from the hospital. She took a quick right and relaxed a bit as she saw the looming set of buildings at the end of the long road. With the speed limit being the last thing on her mind, Beca pressed the pedal harder and zoomed past another car. Finally whipping into the parking lot, she screeched to a halt in the first spot she could find outside of the emergency entrance.

Beca hopped out of her car and booked it through the automatic doors. She stumbled to a halt at the nurses' desk and started to scribble her name on the visitors' sign in sheet.

"Who're you here for, honey?" The middle aged woman behind the counter asked.

"Beale. I'm here for Chloe Beale." She panted out. The nurse began to scan her sheet and paused as she found the young woman's name.

"She's being treated in room 203. Your friend is in there with her." The nurse provided. Beca, too worried to even think to thank her, whirled around and scanned the room numbers frantically. Finding the 200's, she narrowly dodged a team of doctors before bursting through the door.

"Chloe," Beca murmured, taking in the scene before her. The redhead's eyes were closed and an oxygen tube hung over her ears and down around to her nose. She had been changed into a blue hospital gown, out of the top of which three wires came out and connected to a beeping heart monitor. The final touch for Beca to start crying was the IV pumping fluids into her arm. Jaiden, who had been watching the scene unfold quietly from the chair to the side of the bed, yawned tiredly and sat up.

"Please don't. I already had to deal with her crying and I really don't have the energy for this." She requested. Beca sniffed and wiped away the few stray tears rolling down her face.

"I'm sorry. Thank you so much for keeping her safe." Beca thanked her in an attempt to compose herself and stepped the rest of the way into the room. Jaiden stood up from her chair and settled for the one on the opposite side so that her sister could hold Chloe's extended hand. Despite her initial discomfort at the request, she had given in when Chloe had to go through having her stomach pumped.

"You need to work on things with her, Becs." The older Mitchell sister looked up from her girlfriend at the use of her nickname. It had been several years since Jaiden had referred to her affectionately and the small action certainly did not go unnoticed by her.

"I know. This is all my fault." Beca murmured quietly.

"Yeah. I know I'm not one to talk, but let her in a little. Talk to her about your shit. She feels like you don't even love her enough to trust her. And then when she found out you had told Jesse about us, um, our situation, I think it made her feel less special." Jaiden hesitated for a moment before continuing. "She came onto me tonight, Beca."

"What?" Beca's eyes widened at the revelation.

"Don't be mad at her. I mean, obviously she was wasted and trying to convince herself that you don't love her. It wasn't a serious thing." Jaiden defended the now sleeping girl immediately. Her sister seemed to calm down and sank back into her guilt. Beca noticed as Jaiden attempted to suppress another yawn and glanced at the clock on the wall.

"You can go back to campus if you want. I'm sorry you even had to do this." Beca apologized once again, hoping that this wouldn't be something that the younger girl would use against them in the future.

"Can't. I rode here in the ambulance. It's not a big deal though; I'll just skip my morning classes." Jaiden shrugged indifferently. She settled in her chair sideways, with her feet dangling over one arm and her head resting against the other. Beca bit her bottom lip uncertainly, not wanting Jaiden to have to stay at the hospital for the whole night.

"Are you sure? I could call Dad and-"

"Don't even say that. You know I don't talk to him." Jaiden interrupted in annoyance. Her defensive response elicited small murmur from Chloe. The redhead shifted in her bed and Beca immediately turned her attention from Jaiden to her. Clutching her hand tighter, the brunette waited anxiously as Chloe's eyes fluttered open and found her's.

"I feel awful." Her voice was hoarse and still slurred, showing that she still had quite a lot of alcohol in her system.

"God, Chlo, I'm so sorry. I love you so much. I do." Beca murmured, lifting Chloe's hand up so that she could kiss the back of it gently.

"Then why…why don't you tell me things?" Jaiden shot her sister a warning look as Chloe asked the question pitifully. She didn't want to have to interject just to keep her from screwing things up any further. Beca clenched her jaw and stared down at her hand, which was intertwined with the redhead's.

"I don't know, Chloe. I don't tell anybody 'things'. It has nothing to do with you though. Like completely nothing. And I know you were upset that Jesse knew about my family situation, but I swear it doesn't mean anything." Beca held Chloe's hand tighter, willing her words to break through the alcohol barrier between the two of them. She felt her girlfriend's grip tighten on her in response and her eyes opened a little more.

"Please stop shutting me out." Chloe pleaded softly. Her face contorted into an expression of sadness that broke the smaller girl's heart.

"Okay. I won't anymore. I love you," Beca's breath hitched in her throat. "I'm sorry."

"Lay down with me." Chloe weakly pulled Beca's arm and the smaller girl stood up immediately. She carefully climbed into the hospital bed and settled down beside her girlfriend, ignoring the stale stench of intoxication that rolled off of her.

"I'm heading down to the cafeteria. Do you want a coffee or something?" Jaiden stood up from her chair and pulled her phone out of her pocket. The 18 year old popped one headphone in her ear and waited for her sister's reply at the door.

"Yeah, a coffee would be great. Are you sure you don't want me to call someone to come and get you?" The older Mitchell asked uncertainly. She momentarily broke eye contact with Jaiden as Chloe shifted closer to her in the bed and threw an arm across her torso.

"I'm fine, and it's late anyways. I'll be back in a little bit." Jaiden waved the offer off and put her other headphone in. The halls of the hospital were practically empty by this time of night and the freshman wandered through them for a while before finding her way to the cafeteria. A stand with several pots of coffee caught her attention and she walked tiredly over to it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Those have been sitting there for a good two hours and might actually put you in our ER." Jaiden jumped at the voice behind her and came face to face with a middle aged doctor. She pulled one of her headphones out of her ear in order to hear him better. The man smiled at her and then nodded over towards a row of vending machines.

"At this time of night, you're better off grabbing one of the cold ones." He advised wisely. Jaiden nodded, trying to be polite and ignore the fact that he had a terribly close resemblance to her stop father.

"Thank you." She half whispered, hurrying over to the machines. Relief flooded over her as she heard his footsteps heading away from her, out of the nearly empty cafeteria. Her hands shook as she struggled to pull a few bills out of her wallet and put them into the beverage machine's slot. "_Come on, you know damn well that wasn't him" _She thought to herself desperately. The teenager loathed the hold he still had over her, even from where he was rotting in jail. It was something she hid, and something she hid well.

After getting two iced Starbucks drinks and two packs of powdered donuts, something she remembered as being one of Beca's favorites, Jaiden started back towards Chloe's room. She continued to try to talk herself back down as she walked, while simultaneously praying she wouldn't cross paths with the doctor again.

Beca looked up as her sister came back into the hospital room. She could tell by the look on the younger girl's face that something had unsettled her. Jaiden tossed her a package of donuts and set a glass bottle of coffee down on the bedside table before sitting back in her chair. Beca couldn't help but notice that one of her headphones was out again and took the opportunity to talk before she could put it back in.

"You alright?" She asked cautiously. Chloe had fallen back asleep shortly after Jaiden was gone and Beca was hoping that she'd be able to sleep through the night, until most of the alcohol had left her system.

"Fine." Jaiden mumbled in response. "I didn't know what to get you, so I hope those are okay." She changed the subject quickly and glanced towards the snack package in her older sister's hands.

"I still love these things, if that's what you're subtly trying to figure out." Jaiden blushed a bit at her sister's inept observation and busied herself opening her coffee. The cap opened with a quiet "pop" and she found herself wishing she had just bitten the bullet and gone for a Redbull instead.

"You got me." She admitted. Beca smirked, flattered that her sister still remembered the tiny detail, and opened the donuts as quietly as she could. Fortunately, Chloe didn't so much as stir.

"Are you sure you're alright? You look a little, um, upset or something." Jaiden sighed and drank her coffee silently.

"I'm good. Just tired, that's all." She lied again, hoping her sister would drop the subject. To her disdain, Beca did and immediately moved on to a worse one.

"Can we talk about everything?" The small brunette asked hopefully. While Jaiden was gone, she had been planning a way to get her younger sister to let them talk out some of the bad blood between them. If she showed more of an effort and let onto how much she wanted Jaiden's forgiveness, Chloe would see it and no doubt feel better about the situation. Not to mention Beca was completely past the point of worrying about seeming desperate in front of her sister. That much was obviously clear to the younger girl now.

"What do you want to talk about?" She relented reluctantly.

"At the courthouse that day, why did you volunteer to go with Mom? Especially when you knew what he was like?" The aspiring DJ searched Jaiden's face for any hint of an answer. By the look on the younger girl's face, Beca could tell she was remembering the day of the custody trial.

"_It's not fair, how they can just split us up like this. I wish I could change it." Beca huffed angrily. She and her sister were sitting outside of their hometown courthouse. The two of them had escaped their newly divorced parents as soon as custody was anointed to each of them, effectively splitting the siblings between them._

"_I know. I'll still see you at school though." Jaiden replied optimistically. If there was one thing she hated, it was seeing her older sister close to tears. Beca didn't cry practically ever, and seeing it was like seeing a whole different side of her._

"_It's not the same. They didn't even listen to us when we said we wanted to stay together." Beca brought her knees up closer to her chest on the courthouse stairs and stared out at the people walking by on the sidewalk. Her small hands balled up into fists as she attempted not to let on how upset she was to her younger sibling._

"_Living with Dad will be okay though. He'll probably give you whatever you want if you guilt trip him." Jaiden noted wisely. She watched as Beca smirked at her, letting up the tension a little bit, and looked over towards her. _

"_Yeah, well, you'll get away with anything with Mom. Especially now that she has that loser to occupy her." Beca replied, trying to incorporate that same optimism into her voice as her sister had. Jaiden noticed the attempt and appreciated it._

"_Beca! Come on, let's get going." The two of them were interrupted by the sound of their father's voice behind them. They turned around to see him stepping down the stairs towards them. Both girls shared a regretting glance as they stood. Beca pulled her younger sister into a tight hug and rubbed her back comfortingly. Jaiden had outgrown her last year, leaving her the "little big sister", but Beca still felt a fiercely protective side towards the younger girl._

"_Call me." She reminded Jaiden quietly. The taller of the two nodded as their father finally reached them._

"_I'll see you whenever I can. I'm so sorry this had to happen, Jay." Dr. Mitchell pulled his youngest daughter into a one sided embrace. Jaiden remained stiff in his arms, not trying to mask the bitterness she held towards him._

"_Don't call me that." She muttered, pulling out of the hug. Dr. Mitchell grimaced sadly as he let her go. When he turned to Beca, he realized that she was just about as hostile as her younger sister. She was staring at him coldly and didn't say a word before she started walking towards the car._

"Because I didn't want you to have to deal with him instead. And I didn't know how bad it was going to be." Jaiden admitted finally. She watched her sister's face fall with realization and immediately regretted her response.

"That's not fair. I should have been the one protecting you." Beca whispered. Jaiden could see the older girl was overcome with guilt again. Fighting the pity that was building up from the look on Beca's face, Jaiden turned her attention back to her coffee and mindlessly began to read the ingredient list.

"Well, you didn't and it's over, so." The statement came out harsher than she had intended and Jaiden could practically feel the older girl wince from across the room.

"I'm sorry." Beca's voice cracked on the second word and she bit her bottom lip, not wanting to fall apart in front of her sister again. She was still supposed to be the strong one and she was still failing at it. And it was beginning to become clearer and clearer why Jaiden wasn't forgiving her.

"I didn't mean it like that, Becs. I just meant that, you know, all of that is done and there's no use talking about it." Jaiden half apologized. Her sister looked up at the second use of her nickname and felt the lump in her throat subside slightly. Not wanting the conversation to continue any further, Jaiden continued before her sister could. "I'm going to get some sleep and you probably should too."

Beca nodded at the younger girl's suggestion and glanced down at the sleeping redhead on her shoulder. Carefully shifting so that she could pull Chloe's blanket up over herself, the brunette eventually got settled in next to her. Jaiden got up once that she saw that she was settled and hit the light dimmer on the wall behind the bed before returning to her chair and sitting in it sideways again.

"Goodnight. I love you." Beca ventured bravely. She tensed in anticipation for Jaiden's reply, if she would even give one. The teenager shot her a sideways glance before popping her headphones in.

"I know you do."

_**I hope you all like this longer chapter! Let me know what you think and what you'd like to see. I'm going to start to incorporate more from the Mitchell's past and other bits of drama, but I'm still entirely open to suggestions!**_


	14. Chapter 14

"Jaiden? Come on, wake up. Chloe's getting discharged." Jaiden groaned in response to her sister pulling one of her headphones out of her ear and nudging her lightly. Her back immediately flared in pain because of the uncomfortable position she had slept in and she stood up stiffly. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, Jaiden saw Chloe was sitting in a wheelchair, dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, ready to go.

"How're you feeling?" The 18 year old asked as she picked up her purse and stepped over to the door. Chloe, who felt even rougher than she looked, forced an embarrassed smile.

"I'm okay." She answered quietly. Her otherwise pale skin had started to turn red and Jaiden could tell she was more than mortified about what had happened. The nurse that had been waiting on them started pushing the chair and the quartet entered the hallway, which was already teeming with doctors. Jaiden caught sight of a clock on the wall and realized that it was only 9 in the morning.

"Do you want to come back to our place or?" Beca let her voice trail off hopefully and Jaiden glanced over at her. She could tell that the older girl was hoping that they could pick up where they left off last night at some point. Exhausted, but not wanting to seem hostile in front of Chloe, Jaiden shrugged.

"I don't care. Do you need me to stick around today?"

"Yes, we do." Chloe piped up. Jaiden rolled her eyes as she realized the redhead was trying to force them together despite her own situation.

"Okay then." Jaiden replied. She caught Beca nudging Chloe's shoulder in annoyance out of the corner of her eye. The group walked out of the emergency room doors and into the parking lot. Chloe's car was one of the only ones out front, and the nurse followed Beca and Jaiden as they made their way to it.

"I can drive if you want to sit with her in the back." Jaiden offered, noticing the way Beca was watching her girlfriend vigilantly. The last thing she needed was for Beca to wreck on the way back because she couldn't stop checking on Chloe. The older Mitchell nodded at her gratefully before opening the car's back door. Jaiden took the keys from her older sister and hopped in the front and waited until she and Chloe were situated in the back before starting the engine.

"Do you guys want to stop anywhere on the way? Chloe should probably eat." Jaiden asked as she pulled out of the parking lot. Traffic hadn't yet gotten started in town, and there were barely any cars to be seen as they started driving past several restaurants.

"She's right, babe. Do you want to go through a drive-thru?" Beca prodded the exhausted girl beside her and Chloe shook her head.

"No. I just want to go home." Chloe mumbled, burying her face in Beca's shoulder.

"That's fine. We can just make you something at home." Jaiden interjected before Beca could argue with the redhead. She had a pretty decent idea of how Chloe was feeling, considering she had handled a bout of alcohol poisoning her junior year of high school. If Chloe was feeling anything like Jaiden had, she probably wanted nothing more than to get a shower and curl up in bed.

"I want pancakes." Chloe requested tiredly. Her girlfriend nodded and rested her head on top of her's.

* * *

The rest of the ride home was mostly silent, with Chloe drifting in and out of consciousness and Jaiden turning on the radio in order to fill the quiet void. The three of them made it back to campus in half an hour and Beca waited until they were parked outside of the dorm to wake up Chloe. The redhead still had some alcohol in her system and leaned on Beca for support as they walked into the dorm building. Jaiden hurried ahead of them, still clutching Beca's keys, and unlocked the door. Chloe breathed an audible sigh of relief as they entered the living space at last.

"I'm going to help her get a shower and into bed." Beca looked at her sister, unsure of what the younger girl would want to do from there. Jaiden nodded and looked towards the kitchen.

"Alright. I'll start on some food for her." She replied finally. Chloe smiled weakly, but gratefully at the freshman, and then tugged on Beca's sleeve. Taking the cue, the brunette mouthed a 'thank you' to her sister and turned to walk to their bathroom with Chloe. One of the perks of the upperclassmen dorms, Beca found a new level of thankfulness for the fact that they had a private bathroom.

Jaiden waited until she heard the door shut down the short hall section before she began to root through the small kitchen. It only took her a few minutes to find a box of Bisquick and the necessary ingredients, as well as a bowl and a skillet. Thanking her mostly independent teenage years for teaching her the cooking basics, Jaiden set to work mixing a single batch of batter. By the time she had half of the pancakes done, the door to the bathroom opened and Jaiden could hear a soft shuffling as Beca got the redhead into bed. The small brunette emerged a few minutes later and smiled anxiously at her sister.

"Smells good." Beca noted. Jaiden nodded as she flipped two of the golden pancakes onto the growing stack beside the stove.

"Thanks. How's she feeling?" The younger girl asked. She turned from Beca for a few seconds in order to grab her bowl. Looking up expectantly, she poured the last of the batter into one giant glob before sprinkling a few chocolate chips she had managed to find in. "Chocolate helps hangovers," She elaborated.

"I'm sure it does. She's exhausted and still a little drunk, I think. Do you need any help?" Beca stepped around to the opposite side of the island. Jaiden glanced around, knowing that if her sister was distracted, she'd be less likely to make things awkward.

"Can you handle scrambled eggs?" The younger of the two asked. Beca nodded and opened the fridge to grab a half empty carton of eggs.

"Yeah, that's like one of the three things I can make."

"What are the other two?" Jaiden smirked.

"Cereal and toast. Anything beyond basic breakfast foods is a loss." Beca cracked an egg into the bowl she had pulled down out of one of the cabinets and hen glanced over at her sister again. Jaiden was fixed on flipping the large chocolate chip pancake, though a trace of a smile still remained on her face. "I still can't get over how grown up you are."

"Do we really have to do this?" Jaiden sounded exasperated and she turned the stove down before turning to her sister. Beca blinked in confusion.

"Do what?"

"It's like you can't be in a room with me without trying to say something stupid or sappy or apologetic. God, can you just act normal?" The taller girl snapped. She turned back around and slid her last pancake onto a new plate before slamming the skillet down on the counter again.

"No, I can't! We don't have a normal fucking relationship, Jaiden! I can't just tiptoe around the fact that you've been blaming me for what happened for the last few years-"

"_Wow. _You're unbelievable. Pin our screwed up relationship on me," She scoffed. "You know what? I'm done. I quit your stupid singing group and tell your dumbass girlfriend to leave me alone." Jaiden shook her head and stalked off towards the door. Every bit of her showed the anger she held for what had happened. Beca followed her immediately, and barricaded the door with her body just before Jaiden could open it.

"Enough, okay? I get that you're pissed about all of this; I really do. But guess what? You weren't the only one that got affected. I've spent the last few years trying to figure out a way to apologize for something I didn't even have control over. Yeah, I probably should have called the police instead of just telling Dad, but I was a freaking kid. Move the fuck on." Beca snarled, straightening up to her full height and staring her sister in the eye. Jaiden's gaze softened and Beca knew, finally, that she had gotten through. The younger girl stepped back from the door in silence and let her eyes fall to the floor.

"I don't actually blame you." She muttered. Beca released her death grip on the door handle and tentatively stepped towards her.

"What do you mean?" The brunette prompted softly. To Beca's surprise, Jaiden looked up with tears welling in her eyes.

"It was my fault for..f-for being gay." The 18 year old stammered out. The weight of her statement rested in the silence that followed. After a few seconds, Jaiden started towards the door again.

"No, I'm sorry, I just didn't know what to say. Please don't go." Beca unfroze and took her older sister by the shoulders. Jaiden was struggling to keep her composure and pulled out of Beca's grasp immediately. "Jay, come on." Beca pleaded.

"Please just leave me alone." The younger Mitchell whispered. Her stare remained locked on the floor and she reached up to discreetly wipe at her eyes. Beca found herself torn between letting her go and forcing her to stay, not knowing which would push her away more.

"I'm not gonna do that, Jay. Stay." Beca coaxed. She took her sister by the forearm and pulled her away from the door. Jaiden relented silently and followed the shorter girl back into the kitchen. She locked her jaw and forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat before grabbing two of the filled plates from the counter and starting towards Chloe's room. Beca watched as she took the lead and followed Jaiden into the bedroom.

"Here," Jaiden nudged Chloe awake and set a plate of food in her lap. The redhead yawned tiredly; her hair still wet from the shower, and looked between the two siblings. Too tired to sense the tension between them, she blinked the sleep from her eyes and sat up the rest of the way.

"Thank you." Chloe ignored the sickness she still felt from the previous night's whiskey and took a bite of the pancake she knew very well had been made by the freshman.

"I'm going to go start the eggs." Beca said suddenly. She had been searching for an excuse to give Jaiden some space and finally found one when she remembered that the younger girl had asked her to scramble a few eggs. She hurried out of the bedroom and returned to her half completed task in the kitchen, effectively leaving Jaiden alone with Chloe.

"It was really nice of you to stay." Chloe spoke up after they had sat in silence for a few minutes. Jaiden had been picking at her own breakfast, deep in thought, and Chloe had finally managed to pick up on the fact that something had obviously happened.

"It's no problem." The freshman replied quietly. She went back to stabbing at her pancakes and glancing at the doorway every so often.

"Are you okay?" Jaiden finally looked at Chloe and nodded.

"I'm fine. Shouldn't I be asking you that?" She replied. Chloe blushed a bit and nodded in admission.

"Touché. But did something happen with you and-"

"Chloe, please don't do this right now. I can't." There wasn't a defensive note in Jaiden's voice. In fact, to Chloe it seemed like more of a plea. The older of the two set down her fork and gave her full attention to her girlfriend's younger sister.

"Alright, I'm sorry. But you can talk to me about things, okay?" Chloe reminded her lightly. Jaiden nodded as her gaze fell again and she resumed pulling apart the food on her plate.

_**Little angst thrown in there for you guys. I hope you like the story so far and thank you so much for all your support. As always, let me know what you think/would like to see **_


	15. Chapter 15

_**Warning: it gets pretty intense in this one. TW for abuse**_

"Why don't you go take a nap on the couch? You look exhausted." Chloe suggested just as her girlfriend walked back into the room with a plate of eggs. Jaiden's eyes widened a bit in surprise at the fact Chloe was actually helping her to catch a break. Without hesitation, she stood up and brushed past Beca without a word.

"Did she say anything to you? Beca asked quietly as she sat down in the chair Jaiden had been residing in. Chloe shook her head and shook her head at the food she was offering.

"No. But I'm guessing something happened with you two." Chloe responded knowingly.

"Yeah," Beca sighed and let her head drop into her hands. Her fingers ran through her hair and came to rest on the back of her neck as she took a few seconds to breathe. "I…I lost it a little. It's just so frustrating when she blames me for not stopping what happened when I fucking couldn't. I wasn't even 16."

"I know, babe. What did you say to her?" Chloe prompted. Her curiosity was evident even through her exhaustion, though Beca was too absorbed in her own emotions to notice.

"I told her to get over it. Which was shitty and insensitive to begin with, but then it turned out that she doesn't even actually blame me for what happened. She thinks it's her own fault." Beca ranted, wringing the back of her neck.

"She thinks it's her own fault her stepfather beat-"

"Yeah, she does think that because he probably told her that over and over again. She literally said 'because I'm gay'." Beca's voice was filled with rage and she lifted her head again. Chloe reached out and grabbed her girlfriend's hand sympathetically, waiting for her to go on. When Beca fell silent again, Chloe pulled her into bed beside her and wrapped her arms around her.

"What actually happened?" Chloe questioned cautiously. She felt Beca suck in a sharp breath at the inquiry and hoped she hadn't been too intrusive.

"Honestly? I don't even know. My mother called me at 2 am and she was crying, saying that Jaiden was in the hospital and her fucking husband had been arrested. She went to the police station and I stayed with Jaiden. He cracked her ribs and her wrists and she was so bruised I couldn't even tell it was her at first." Beca's voice rose in pitch and Chloe could tell she was biting back tears. The now hungover redhead pulled her closer and nuzzled her face into Beca's neck. The two of them fell into a tired silence and it didn't take long for both of them to drift off.

"_You brought that sin into my fucking house!" The sheer volume of his voice was enough to make Jaiden flinch. Though the man standing over her was no doubt her biggest issue at the time, she still listened to the sound of the engine in the driveway, willing Cici to drive away. "Look at me!" Her attention was snapped back to her stepfather as he roughly grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him._

"_I'm sorry." She apologized quietly, submissively. Ted turned briefly as he heard the sound of the car outside heading down their short driveway. Knowing that they were now truly alone, he shoved his stepdaughter back against a wall._

"_I don't want you ever seeing that whore again-"_

"_No!" Jaiden panicked; she couldn't lose Cici because of him. Not after she had finally found someone in their judgmental, shitty neighborhood. "Don't call her that." The teenager attempted to slide out away from him, only to have two strong hands tighten around her own arms. The smell of whiskey rolled off of his breath and she gagged at the smell. _

"_Don't you dare tell me what to do, you disrespectful little bitch." He spat out. Jaiden braced herself just before he pushed her to the floor, knowing that it was going to be an awful night. She should have been more careful, but Cici had been upset and needed to come over. She had thought they'd have enough time before Ted returned from whatever lowly bar he crawled into, but the older man had returned just in time to see her kissing her girlfriend goodbye._

"_I guess I'm going to have to teach you your lesson again." Jaiden's eyes widened as he started unbuckling his belt and pulling it out of its loops. She scrambled backwards on the wooden floor of the kitchen, into the hallway._

"_Get away from me." She warned. The same smirk as always crossed Ted's face and she knew he had been waiting to catch her in something again. In one quick motion, he reached down and grabbed her leg before yanking her closer to him. Jaiden brought her arms up to cover her face as he raised his belt and brought it down with a harsh 'crack'. A cry of pain escaped her lips at the new stinging welt across her forearms. Before she could defend herself, he brought it down again, this time on her stomach. Before he could get a third hit in, she pulled her leg out of his hand and kicked at him. _

"_Bitch!" He growled. Jaiden flipped around onto her hands and knees and crawled away as fast as she could, only to be grabbed by the hair. She gritted her teeth in pain as Ted ripped her backwards and her back collided with the floor harshly. Before she knew it, the much larger man was kneeled on top of her, pinning her to the floor._

"_Get off!" Jaiden screamed, struggling under his heavy form. Ted, obviously getting angrier by the second, raised a fist and hit his stepdaughter across the face. Jaiden's head snapped to the side and she was too caught off guard to even cry out in pain. Pain radiated across her cheek, which suddenly matched the other side of her face as he landed another blow. "Stop!" She cried. Her struggling grew more and more frantic. Desperate for a chance at escape, Jaiden aimed a hit at the man's crotch and the second he doubled over in pain, she scurried out from under him and bolted towards the stairs. She could hear his thundering footsteps behind her and all she needed was to get to her room and lock the door. At the very top of the stairs, she panicked as she felt Ted grab her arm and suddenly she was tumbling downwards. The sharp edges of the wooden stairs slammed into her body as she fell down them and landed in a crumpled heap on the floor. Her body was wracked with pain and Jaiden felt a trickle of blood streaming down her forehead._

"_Please," Jaiden whimpered as she watched Ted slowly walk down the stairs towards her. He remained silent until he reached the bottom, and then landed a strong kick straight to her chest. Jaiden screamed as she felt one of her ribs crack from the force. She rolled over and attempted to curl up in order to protect herself, only to be kicked in the back. _

"_Your slut of a mother never taught you to listen, did she? Of course not. That's why Ted's gonna do it." Jaiden groaned in pain as Ted grabbed her by the hair again and started dragging her up the stairs. She struggled to support her own body weight feebly, but he was moving far too fast for her to get back onto her feet. Just as they reached the top, Ted lifted her up and kicked her back down again. This time, at the bottom, her head collided with the ground and blackness clouded the edges of her vision._

"_Stop. Please." Jaiden begged, tears welling in her eyes. Every part of her body was screaming in pain and she found herself starting to pray that her mother would come home and finally see that it had gone too far. However, the two of them remained alone and Ted came down to sit next to her on the floor, knowing she didn't have the strength to sit up._

"_Have you learned your lesson yet?" Ted asked. His voice was laced with mockery and Jaiden hesitated before nodding. "Which means that tramp isn't coming back?" _

"_Her name is Cici and I love her. You…you can't change that." Jaiden's plan to be obedient and tell the man whatever he wanted to hear disappeared as he insulted her girlfriend again. She could practically feel his anger spike again and braced herself for his next move. Sure enough, he grabbed her by the throat and forced her to stand. Her left ankle protested loudly and Jaiden nearly buckled from putting weight on it._

"_When the hell are you going to learn?" Ted shook his head, disgusted by the teenager, and slapped her across the face as hard as he could. Jaiden collapsed in his grip and fought to stay conscious. Her mind wandered as he hit her time and time again, trying to escape her current position. It wasn't until she was slammed back into the hallway wall that she focused back on Ted._

"_Now repeat after me if you want this shit to stop." He instructed. His hand came up to wrap around Jaiden's throat in order to strengthen his threat and she waited. "I'm hurt because I am gay."_

"_I'm hurt because I am gay." Jaiden whimpered._

"_Being gay is an abomination." He prompted, leaning in closer to her face. Jaiden blinked away at the tears in her eyes and stifled a sob._

"_Being gay is an abomination."_

"_You're going to Hell, you piece of shit." He growled into her ear. Jaiden's eyes widened as his grip on her throat suddenly tightened and she found herself unable to breathe. Her vision, which had already been dim, started to darken until she couldn't even see the man in front of her. Her lungs screamed for air and she fought feebly against him until finally, his hands released her. Jaiden dropped to the floor, coughing and gasping for breath, and listened over the pounding in her ears to her stepfather walking back into the kitchen, and then out the front door._

Jaiden woke up in a cold sweat and sat up on the couch she had fallen asleep on. Her heart was still pounding from the dream that had turned into more of a flashback. She had known that this would happen eventually. Being around Beca and talking about what she had gone through months of therapy to forget would no doubt bring the memories back. Groaning in frustration, Jaiden looked around the silent dorm before standing. She threw the blanket she had been using back onto the back off the couch and silently walked to the door.

Once Jaiden had successfully escaped her sister's dorm room, she pulled out her phone and found Stacie's name in her contacts. She needed a distraction, and there was no better one than sex. The freshman typed out a quick "DTF?" and watched as the tiny grey bubble popped up on Stacie's side only seconds after she had sent it.

_Yep_. _Come over_.

Grinning at the nearly instant reply, the lingering memories of her stepfather disappeared and Jaiden hurried towards the stairwell. Grateful the Stacie lived in the same building as Beca, she made it to the older girl's room in record time and knocked on the door.

"Look who was nearby." Stacie chuckled as she opened the door. Jaiden winked up at the taller girl and stepped inside. Stacie's roommate had demanded a transfer the second night on campus with the girl, after realizing that she wasn't going to get any sleep as long as she was rooming with someone so promiscuous. All of which was fine with Stacie, considering now she had more privacy. The older girl shut the door behind them, a smirk playing on her lips.

_**I skipped school today, so here's another update already. Now we know what happened to Jaiden (super angsty, I know). Hope you guys liked the chapter!**_


	16. Chapter 16

"Thanks, I needed that." Jaiden straightened up into a kneeling position and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Stacie smiled up at her and propped herself onto her elbows, watching the younger girl closely. She could tell Jaiden had been stressed from the moment she walked into the door and if there was anything that Stacie knew, it was how to relieve stress. She had drug the brunette into the shower and took things from there, knowing exactly what to do to get Jaiden's mind off whatever her problems were.

"You can hang around for a bit if you want." Stacie offered, watching as Jaiden put her bra on and pulled her shirt over her head. The freshman glanced back at her briefly before finding her pants, which had been abandoned halfway to the bathroom.

"I've got to get back upstairs. Beca's genius girlfriend got alcohol poisoning last night and you probably know how that goes." She declined politely as she slid back into her skinny jeans and fastened her belt. Jaiden looked around aimlessly for her shoes as Stacie watched on in mild amusement. One thing she had noticed about Jaiden was that she was far worse at hiding her emotions than Beca was.

"So what's your damage, kiddo? You're not that great at hiding it." Stacie arched an eyebrow and waited for her latest partner's reply. Jaiden shot her a sideways look and slipped on the single sneaker she had found so far.

"This isn't a relationship, remember?" The older of the two rolled her eyes and sat up in her bed.

"Wow, you're even more defensive than Beca. Whatever, I won't push. Just let me know if you need anything." Stacie relented, winking after her last word. Jaiden couldn't help but smirk as she leaned down and pulled her second shoe out from under the older brunette's bed. Sliding it onto her foot, Jaiden stood up straight and started towards the door.

"Thanks, Stace. I'll let you know." She replied finally. Jaiden could feel the older girl's eyes on her as she opened the door and stepped out and knew that eventually, some form of the truth was going to come out to the Bellas. The group was close, which had been made apparent by the party the other night, and it was only a matter of time before they all picked up on the strained relationship.

Jaiden only hesitated for a few seconds before heading back into the stairwell and onto her sister's floor. Her hair was still wet from the shower and she took a moment to comb her fingers through it, hoping Beca would just assume that she had taken a shower in their bathroom. She had also picked up on the fact that Beca was more than a little bothered by her sexual escapades with Stacie. Careful not to make too much noise, Jaiden opened the unlocked door and crept back into the dorm, only to find Beca sitting on the couch.

"Where the hell were you?" The shorter girl asked suspiciously. Jaiden glanced at the ceiling, willing herself not to be confrontational, before shutting the door behind her and shrugging.

"Downstairs…" Jaiden let her voice trail off, hoping she wouldn't have to elaborate. Her eyes widened in realization and then a frown crossed the DJ's face.

"Jay, you shouldn't be-"

"What Beca? The last thing I need is you telling me who I can and can't have sex with." Jaiden interrupted tiredly. Beca tensed, ready for a fight. To her surprise, Jaiden sighed and sat down on the couch next to her.

"I'm going to give you 15 minutes to say whatever you want, okay? And then I'm going to say whatever I want for 15, and then we'll be done for today. Sound fair?" Beca nodded at the proposition and took a deep breath before beginning.

"I guess I just want to ask you to stop acting like we aren't family. I'm your older sister and I'm going to look out for you, or at least try to. I know this is college and it's the time to do new shit but…I don't know, I guess I'm just being too protective." Beca admitted. "It just hurts that you act like you don't love me."

Jaiden waited for her sister to continue, but found silence resting between the two of them. She looked up from her hands, which had been clasped between her knees, and looked at Beca with soft eyes.

"Is that it?" Beca nodded and leaned back on the couch. Jaiden paused for a second and then slid closer to her. Before the smaller girl could even react, her sister had wrapped her arms around her. Beca relaxed immediately and threw her arms around the younger girl and pulled her closer, unabashedly desperate for the physical contact.

"I'm sorry if I act like I don't love you." Jaiden muttered, a touch of shame in her words. Being reserved with Beca was one thing, but she did love the older girl, and she knew she was loved back. Jaiden felt Beca's face nuzzle into her neck and realized that this was the first time that they had hugged in years. Regret filled her mind at the realization and she rubbed a hand up and down Beca's back softly.

"I'm so sorry I didn't stop him." Jaiden felt the smaller girl burst into a bout of sobs suddenly and froze. Beca's body shook as she broke down seemingly out of nowhere, and Jaiden found herself at a loss for words.

"Please stop crying." Jaiden said finally, pulling back from her sister. She kept a hand on each of Beca's shoulders and studied the older girl's tear soaked face. Mascara had left long, black streaks down her cheeks and Jaiden reached up with one hand and wiped at them.

"God, sorry, I don't do this." Beca apologized quickly, sheepishly, and sniffled a bit despite herself. "I just realized that I've missed so much of your life and there really was more I could have done to get you out of there. I could have taken Dad's car and came and got you the second you told me what he was like-"

"Don't do that." Jaiden shook her head and cut Beca's rant off.

"How can I not?" Beca blurted out with a rueful, bitter smile. Fresh tears sprung from her eyes again as she shook her head at herself and glanced up at the ceiling; another trait she shared with her sibling. "Every time I think about it, it's just so clear how much a failed you. I was supposed to protect you and I couldn't."

"Stop, please. You're…you're making this so hard. You always make things so hard for yourself, Beca. I'm saying right here, right now, I forgive you. I love you." Jaiden's voice was stern, but not harsh, and she suddenly appeared to be the older of the two. Beca searched her sister's eyes for any of sign of insincerity and found none.

"I love you too." Beca breathed out, nearly throwing herself back into Jaiden's arms. The 18 year old hugged her tightly and rested her chin atop Beca's head, patiently waiting for her to calm down.

_**Hey guys. Unfortunately, I'm at a blank on where to take this story. I've really enjoyed writing this so far, but I'm totally out of inspo at this point. If anyone has any ideas, my inbox is open, but until I come up with something, this story is on hiatus ): **_


	17. Chapter 17

The next few days were a bit of a break for both girls. Jaiden left shortly after Beca had calmed down and managed to make it to the second half of the day's classes, while the other Mitchell stayed behind and watched after Chloe for the rest of the day. Jaiden took advantage of the three days before the first Bella's rehearsal and avoided both her sister and Chloe. Though things were definitely better with Beca now, it was still difficult to be around someone who reminded her so much of home.

"So, what are you doing tonight?" Jaiden looked up from her notes as Amber slid into her seat next to her. The blonde had taken to sitting next to her every afternoon and over their short conversations Jaiden had learned that she was a sophomore with a split second major change, came from Pennsylvania, watched far too much Criminal Minds, and was a reliable source for Jaiden's afternoon coffee. The older girl almost always showed up with a Starbucks cup for each of them.

"Bellas rehearsal. Yay." Jaiden replied in annoyance. Amber arched an eyebrow and bit the end of her pen.

"You always just seem so thrilled when you talk about them. Why are you in that group anyways?" She prodded curiously. Jaiden sipped at her coffee, jotted down a few words in her notebook, and then sighed.

"My sister is Beca Mitchell." Amber's eyes widened with the realization and she nodded in understanding.

"So you're Barden's next acapella prophecy?" Jaiden scoffed quietly and shook her head.

"Absolutely not. Beca and I…haven't always gotten along and I guess this is just our way of trying to fix it." The freshman admitted.

"Well that takes balls. Family stuff is hard; not a lot of people are willing to put in the work to fix it." Amber noted. Jaiden looked away from the lecturing professor up front with a bit of surprise as she took in her words.

"You sound like you're speaking from experience." She guessed. Amber smiled, a bit contritely, and nodded.

"Haven't spoken to my father in over a year now."

"If it makes you feel any better, mine works here and I haven't given him the time of day in about three years." Jaiden chuckled dryly.

"Damn, and I thought I had daddy issues." She laughed. Jaiden smiled, surprised at how open she found herself being, and finally turned her attention back to the lecture up front. "I swear, I'm going to fail this class because of you."

* * *

"She's going to come, right?" Chloe glanced anxiously at the clock on the wall and then over at her girlfriend. Beca nodded, though she was starting to seem a bit doubtful herself. It was two minutes until rehearsal was scheduled to start and every other Bella was there, except for Jaiden.

"Since when are you the one worrying about her?" Chloe blushed profusely at the question and looked down at her feet.

"The other night was _really _bad and entirely embarrassing. I'd understand completely if she didn't want to be around me after that." Chloe admitted. Beca's eyebrows shot up at the realization and she looked away from her laptop screen to focus on the redhead. She had been well aware of how humiliated Chloe had been with her little stint of alcohol poisoning, but she hadn't realized it was because of Jaiden.

"Chloe, I'm sure she's fine with it. We've all had our lows with booze." Beca offered. She knew her words weren't much of help, which is why she practically jumped for joy when the door across the rehearsal space opened and Jaiden walked in. She was dressed in what looked like gym clothes and covered in sweat.

"Am I late?" The freshman asked nervously, noticing that practically every Bella was looking at her.

"Almost, but not yet. I'm glad you came." Chloe beamed, rising from her seat to meet the younger girl. Beca followed reluctantly, knowing she was now under the eyes of her teammates.

"Sorry, I was on a run. Am I the last one?" She apologized, looking around at the rest of the singers. Chloe nodded, still smiling, and hurried over to her whiteboard.

"Okay ladies, now that everyone is here, we can begin. This year, we'll be wasting no time working out at rehearsals. You are expected to complete three hours of cardio a week on your own time and we _will _be able to notice if you don't," Chloe warned, earning a few eye rolls from the other women. Jaiden set her duffel bag down and took a seat in the one remaining metal chair, a bit surprised at how serious Chloe had gotten. "Beca has already started working on a mix for regionals this year, which I'm sure is going to be amazing. But until it's done, we'll be focusing on our dance skills and vocal warm-ups. So get up and stretch for a few minutes and then we'll get started." Chloe instructed. With that, the Bella's rose and Jaiden followed suit, though she didn't necessarily need to limber up. The freshman shot a quick glance to the clock on the wall and knew that the next three hours were going to drag.

180 _long _minutes later, Jaiden was booking it towards the door with her bag slung over her shoulder. She had had absolutely no idea that an acapella group was going to be this intense, vaguely sexual, and frustrating. She had picked up on Chloe's intense unease about what had happened through her over-friendliness and knew if she didn't escape soon enough, the redhead was going to be on her like a leech again.

"Jaiden! Jaiden, wait up." Clenching her jaw, Jaiden turned around and came face to face with her sister. The brunette had an anxious expression on her face and Jaiden could tell she was about to ask something of her.

"Look, Chloe's being super weird about what went down the other night," Beca started. Jaiden rolled her eyes, knowing exactly where she was going. "Would you go like, ask her if she wants to get coffee or something?"

"Becs, I don't know. She'll get over it eventually, right?" Jaiden rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly and glanced over at Chloe, who was erasing the whiteboard.

"No. Probably not. Please?" Beca pleaded. Jaiden huffed in annoyance, knowing she wasn't going to get out of it, and slung her duffel bag over her shoulder.

"You owe me for this." She muttered, brushing past her sister. Beca whispered a quick 'thank you' which Jaiden caught as she crossed over to the redhead and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Jaiden, hey! You were so great today-"

"Do you want to go grab a coffee?" Jaiden cut her off before she could begin an unnecessary string of compliments. Chloe blinked in surprise before nodded enthusiastically.

"Totally! Is Beca coming?" She asked curiously, looking over Jaiden's shoulder to see her girlfriend walking out of the building.

"No, she has something or, um, I don't really know. But yeah, let's just go." Jaiden waved off the question awkwardly and started towards the door. Chloe took her lead, still a bit shocked at the quick proposal, and Jaiden hoped she wouldn't ask any more questions. Which of course didn't happen.

"So, no offense or anything but, like, why'd you ask to go get coffee? Especially after what happened, I figured you just wouldn't want-"

"Look, I don't know what Beca's told you, but I don't just shut _everyone _out. You drank too much, big deal. We've all been there. The only reason I knew what to do was because I got alcohol poisoning in high school." Jaiden interrupted again. Chloe looked taken aback for a few seconds, but recovered quickly.

"Oh. Well that's a relief. And Beca didn't say anything, by the way." Chloe clarified.

"Oh my God, I was kidding." Jaiden replied with an eye roll. The redhead blushed in embarrassment and averted her eyes to the sidewalk.

"Sorry." She mumbled. Jaiden found herself feeling a pang of guilt in her chest and she sighed.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm being a dick. Just know that I'm not like, mad at you or anything for what happened. Just don't hit on me again." Jaiden offered a smirk and relaxed as Chloe chuckled.

"I promise. I won't be drinking about for a _long _time, so I think you're safe." The older of the two replied seriously. The Starbucks came into view at the end of the sidewalk and Jaiden squinted as she noticed a familiar figure walking in. The freshman stopped and glanced at Chloe apologetically.

"I'm sorry, but Dr. Mitchell is-"

"I saw him," Chloe confirmed. "It's alright. I'll take a raincheck." She said understandingly. Jaiden smiled, grateful that the redhead was giving her such an easy out.

"Thank you. I mean it. I'll catch you later." She promised before hurrying away. Chloe watched her jog away across the grass, immensely relieved that the younger girl wasn't upset with her.


	18. Chapter 18

"Come to karaoke with Beca and I tonight!" Jaiden jumped at the sudden poke in her side and found herself face to face with Chloe. Her request took a few seconds to register, and once it did, Jaiden shook her head immediately.

"No. No thank you. That…that doesn't even sound fun." She answered honestly.

"But I'm cashing my raincheck." Jaiden gritted her teeth and sighed as she remembered that she did in fact grant the redhead a raincheck the other day after she bailed on coffee. Chloe, knowing that she had her trapped, sat down next to her on the grass. Before she had so kindly interrupted, Jaiden had been outlining a section of her overpriced Psych textbook, enjoying the breezy, mid-September day.

"Well I guess if it's a _raincheck_, I have to go, right? Or else you're going to pout and tell my sister?" Jaiden guessed. Chloe nodded her affirmation and waited patiently for the freshman's decision. "Do you guilt trip Beca like this too?"

"Only when I have to. But she listens to me better than you do." Chloe replied with a shrug. Jaiden begrudgingly shoved her work into her backpack and stood up. Chloe arched an eyebrow and waited on the ground until finally, Jaiden caught on and extended her hand.

"That's better." Chloe noted, bouncing to her feet with Jaiden's help. The two headed onto the sidewalk and started towards the upperclassmen dorms.

"So where's this shit-show going to go down?" The youngest Mitchell sibling asked.

"Just where we rehearse. Cynthia Rose is bringing the equipment and the Treblemakers and the High Notes are coming too."

"I hope somebody's bringing beer." Jaiden huffed. She pulled her backpack strap up onto her shoulder and glanced up at the sky, wondering how on earth she kept getting drug into shit like this.

"Yeah." Chloe's voice trailed off and Jaiden looked over at her.

"Okay, no, you are not allowed to drink. You need, like, a few months before you start that shit again. I'm not letting Beca drink either. You two absolutely suck when you're drunk. She gets all guard-dog and you're just…a hot mess." She warned. Chloe scoffed and rolled her eyes as they approached their building. The younger girl took a few steps ahead and opened the door for her politely. Chloe nodded her thanks, impressed with the shreds of Beca she continued to find in her, and watched as Jaiden hurried to get the stairwell door too.

"Where'd you learn all these manners?" The redhead asked in amusement. Jaiden looked momentarily taken aback by the question and then shrugged.

"My entire childhood wasn't a hell-hole, you know."

"Jaiden, I didn't mean-"

"I know how you meant it. It's surprising that I'm not a little rough around the edges after what Beca told you." Jaiden shot her a knowing glance as they started up the stairs together.

"Honestly, yeah. You're a lot different than I expected you to be." Chloe admitted.

"In a good or bad way?"

"Good. Definitely good. It…it means a lot to Beca and me that you've been so willing to, like, give us a chance. You didn't have to, but you did, and you have no idea how…how happy she gets when you talk to her or God, even smile at her." Jaiden felt her face grow hotter and turned away from the redhead as she continued up the stairs, knowing that her face had to be completely flushed. "She loves you so much. I mean, I've seen Beca around your-_Dr. Mitchell_," Chloe corrected herself. "And it's not anything like it is with you. She always seems to be putting up with him, and you practically have to hold a gun to her head to get her to say anything about your mother, but she…she brings you up. Beca, I mean, you know her, probably better than I do-"

"That's where you're wrong. I really…she's changed a lot since everything, probably because of what happened and how I dealt with it. I have a lot of catching up to do." Jaiden interjected truthfully. Chloe picked up on the guilt in her voice and frowned, having not meant to give the younger girl anything to feel bad about.

"She feels the same way. It's like she missed you growing up, at least to her. So you can both catch up on each other tonight." Chloe offered, hoping she would cheer up a tad. Jaiden nodded slightly and then opened the door on the stairway landing.

"It's only like, 7:00. Why'd you come get me so early?" Jaiden changed the subject conveniently as Chloe fished her keys out and unlocked her door. The redhead glanced back over her shoulder once before letting them both in.

"We kind of have to convince Beca to come. But that'll be super easy now that you're here." Jaiden sighed in annoyance as she realized that she had been tricked. In all honestly, she knew that she should have been more suspicious to the sudden invitation and where it came from. "She's in our room, so like, go get her." Chloe encouraged. The freshman rolled her eyes before heading down the ever more familiar hallway and knocking on the door.

"_I'm working on a mix, babe. I told you I don't want to go anywh-"_

"It's Jaiden." Within seconds, the door opened and Beca stood in front of her sister anxiously.

"Hey, um, what are you doing here? Is everything alright?" The smaller brunette looked Jaiden up and down worriedly.

"I'm fine. Chloe said there was some karaoke thing tonight, and I kind of owe her for something, so now I have to get you to come." Jaiden explained. Beca breathed a sigh of relief, quickly followed by an eye roll at her incredibly persistent girlfriend.

"Well then I guess I'm coming. You can, uh, you can stay in here if you want while I get ready. I promise I don't ask as my questions as Chloe." Jaiden considered the option for a few seconds before realizing that it was in fact, her best one.

"Good point. You it is then." She decided. Beca hid a triumphant smile before opening her door wider and letting her younger sister in. Jaiden took in the room around her, considering she hadn't noticed much about it when she woke up the one night she had stayed over. A quiet beat was playing out of the abandoned headphones on what she presumed to be Beca's desk. The wooden stand was loaded with two large speakers, a laptop, and various equipment that the 18 year old had no idea how to use.

"So you still do this?" Jaiden asked, gesturing towards the setup. Beca nodded quickly and hurried to unplug her headphones. The sound filtered out through the speakers and she turned it down a notch after it nearly blew out their eardrums.

"This is just…the start of a mix I've been working on for the Bellas. It's not done yet or anything, but-"

"It's really good. You've gotten a lot better." Jaiden noted, brushing past her sister and sitting down in the desk chair. Beca watched, a bit nervous, as her sister listened to her mash-up and watched the audio waves scroll across the laptop screen.

"Thanks. Your voice has gotten, like, even more amazing, which I didn't really think was possible."

"Beca, relax. You don't always have to be trying to get on my good side. Stop trying so hard," Jaiden deadpanned. The older girl hid her embarrassment, and she nodded on understanding. "We were so casual before all that shit happened. I miss that." The taller of the two admitted.

"I miss it too. I know I need to relax." Beca admitted.

"Let's just chill tonight, okay? I mean I totally told Chloe I wasn't going to let you drink, but screw that. Get drunk with me and maybe things will just work out like old times. Plus the High Notes are going to be there." Jaiden let her voice trail off suggestively and waited for her sister to respond. She had no idea how Beca felt regarding a certain plant, but she guessed that the older girl was laid back enough to permit it.

"Wait, do you smoke?" Beca arched an eyebrow and stared at her sister in surprise.

"Occasionally. Not since I got here, but I used to at home pretty regularly." Jaiden confessed.

"Well, I'm entirely down for it, but don't let Chloe know. She doesn't really approve of the Devil's lettuce."

"_Please _tell me you called it that as a joke." Jaiden laughed.

"I did, yes. But that's literally what she refers to it as like 90% of the time." Beca cracked a genuine smile and she looked over at the drawer behind Jaiden. Things were going well and she basically _needed _them to continue, so she crossed over and opened it before pulling out a hidden metal tin. A look of realization crossed Jaiden's face and she scanned her sister up and down, impressed.

"You sneaky bitch. She has no idea?" Beca smirked and shook her head as she produced a neatly rolled joint and a lighter. Offering it to her younger sister, she watched as the brunette lit it and took a long drag. It hit Beca again how…adult her sister was now and she shook the feelings away as Jaiden passed her the joint. It was going to be a good night, dammit. She was going to make sure of it.

_**Big stuff planned in the next chapter! Lots of angst! Stay tuned and I'll have it up as soon as possible.**_


	19. Chapter 19

"Everyone ready?" Chloe burst her head through the door and was struck with the pungent aroma of smoke. Her excited features quickly shifted to ones of disgust, and she narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend. "You did _not_!"

"Chloe, chill, it was my idea," Jaiden held her hand up in order to stop the older girl from chewing out her sister and offered a guilty smile. The freshman held the small remaining section of their joint towards Chloe.

"I don't smoke. I never thought you would be the bad influence." Chloe refused sharply. Both Mitchell sisters stared at her in surprise and suppressed amused chuckles. Jaiden slowly got to her feet and opened the door the entire way, letting the smoke that had accumulated drift out.

"What was that think you said about me being a lot different than you expected?" Jaiden arched an eyebrow and brushed past the redhead, out of the room. If there was one thing she had grown good at, it was deferring attention from herself.

"Beca, what the hell?" Chloe crossed her arms and glared at her girlfriend now that they were alone.

"We were just, you know, trying to hangout and stuff. She mentioned that she smokes and I figured-"

"You're supposed to be looking out for her, not helping her do drugs." Chloe cut her off. She was in complete disbelief that Beca would be this irresponsible, especially with something so important. It was like she cared about Jaiden's relationship with Beca more than Beca did.

"It's just some pot."

"You know what that can turn into!" Chloe's voice rose in both volume and exasperation.

"Don't hit me with that gateway bullshit, please babe."

"_Fuck you, Beca," _The smaller of the two froze as her girlfriend snapped and slammed their bedroom door shut. "You have no idea what you're talking about. You know damn well what happened to my brother." Beca felt her stomach twist in realization as she recalled the one time Chloe had talked about her older brother. He had apparently died of a heroin overdose while Chloe was finishing up high school. The entire family had been caught off guard, thinking he was clean.

"Ryan smoked marijuana all the time, before he got bored. And then it was pills, and then rehab, and then pills again and then God knows what else. But you know how that ended, and I pray to God you want better than that for Jaiden. She went through some hard times and she…what if one day she thinks about that too much and needs to cope?" Chloe's voice softened and she sat down in the chair in front of Beca's desk. She could tell her words had hit the younger girl and watched as Beca rubbed her temples.

"I suck at this so hard." The brunette sighed. Her eyes, which were already tinted red, watered up and she wiped at them quickly. If there was one thing she hated, it was crying in front of Chloe. She knew the redhead got too concerned and she knew that somehow, Chloe felt closer to her when she did. The brunette had always felt uncomfortable giving someone the satisfaction of being vulnerable in front of them.

"You don't suck. You just need to remember that, like, you need to look out for her. Not just try to get on her good side. I don't want you drinking a lot tonight, Becs. I mean, obviously I won't, but just don't get off your ass." Chloe advised seriously. The dazed girl in front of her nodded and stood up from her seat on the edge of the bed.

"You're right. I'm sorry, Chlo." Beca apologized quietly. The redhead leaned down to peck her on the lips gently before wrinkling her nose in distaste.

'You taste like a stoner. Ew." She chuckled, hoping to lighten Beca's mood a bit. She hadn't meant to be as harsh as she had come off, but the girl could just be so damn irresponsible sometimes. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

15 minutes later, the two Mitchell sisters and their companion stepped through the doors to the rehearsal hall only to find that the party was well underway. The Treblenotes had supplied their lighting equipment, while the High Notes had managed to bring in several kegs and…other intoxicating substances. And then of course, Cynthia Rose had brought the speakers and set up for the karaoke, which had already gotten started as well.

"No fucking way." Jaiden mumbled as they took a few steps into the building. Both Chloe and Beca turned to look at her questioningly, only to find the younger girl squinting ahead, into the crowd of people. Jaiden walked away from them without a word, pushing her way through the other singers.

"Amber? No," Jaiden shook her head in disbelief. "There's no way you're a High Note." The blonde grinned at her and held her hands up in surrender.

"You got me. To be fair, I said that _you _didn't seem like the acapella type." Amber grinned. "I, on the other hand, have a deep love for both singing and…the other aspects of the group."

"I'm starting to think that maybe I joined the wrong one." Jaiden sighed, glancing backwards towards the door. Both Beca and Chloe were blatantly watching her and she rolled her eyes. "I'm going to grab a beer. Do you want one?" She asked. Her plan of action was to get out of her sister's, and more importantly Chloe's sights as fast as possible. Amber nodded and the two disappeared into the crowd around them, towards the nearest keg.

Jaiden had just finished pouring Amber's cup of Budweiser when she felt a hug from behind. Turning around, she came face to face with Fat Amy, who already looked well on her way to Drunk Town.

"Little Beca! You made it!" The Australian exclaimed while effectively spilling beer on herself. Jaiden smiled, relieved that it hadn't been either of the two she had come with, and smiled back at the blonde.

"That I did. It's nice to see you, um, Fat Amy. You been hitting up that cardio?"

"Yeah, in case you couldn't tell. I've got a personal trainer named Bumper. _Very good_." The shorter woman winked. With that subtle statement, she turned and started off towards the group of men that seemed to be waiting for her and threw a piece sign up into the air as she left.

"What a charmer." Amber noted, watching the strangely charismatic Australian strut away.

"It's the self-confidence for sure. Very sexy." Jaiden laughed. Amber giggled in response and the brunette quickly took a drink of her beer, hoping that the other girl hadn't noticed her cheeks reddening.

"How about you get up there and sing? You must be kind of good at it, what with Beca Mitchell being your sister." Amber challenged, very well aware of the effect she had on the slightly younger girl. Jaiden glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and then drained the yellow cup in her hand.

"You better have another one of those waiting for me when I get done." Jaiden grimaced, handing the cup to the blonde and starting towards where Cynthia Rose stood. She skimmed through the booklet the older girl handed her and winked at her before stepping up to the mic. The basic dance beat streaming out of the speakers paused momentarily before being taken over by a new tune, effectively catching the attention of around half the room.

"_I see you over there, so hypnotic  
Thinking 'bout what I do to that body  
I'll get you like ooh baby baby  
Ooh baby baby, ah-ooh baby baby ooh baby baby"_

Beca poked her head above the crowd around them as she heard a familiar voice and tugged on Chloe's arm. "There she is," she pointed out, spotting Jaiden up at the mic stand.

"_Got no drink in my hand,  
But I'm wasted  
Getting drunk off the thought of you naked  
I get you like-"_

Jaiden went back into her string of "ooh baby's" again and locked eyes with Beca across the room. The brunette was staring at her questioningly, obviously confused as to why she had suddenly ditched her. Jaiden felt a pang of guilt, but brushed it off and gripped the mic harder.

"_And I ain't trying to fight it, to fight it  
But you're so magnetic, magnetic  
Got one life, just live it, just live it  
Now relax, and get on your back"_

The singing brunette winked at Amber, who was watching in utter amusement from over by the beer, and pulled the microphone out of the stand.

"_If you wanna scream, yeah  
Let me know and I'll take you there  
Get you going like ah-ooh  
Baby baby ooh baby baby  
Ah-ooh baby baby ooh baby  
If you want it done right  
Hope you're ready to go all night  
Get you going like ah-ooh  
Baby baby ooh baby baby  
Ah-ooh baby baby ooh baby  
If you wanna scream."_

By the time the first chorus ended, most of the room was either watching the impromptu performance or dancing to it. Beca and Chloe had been trying to cut their way towards the speaker set up, but drunk people are practically impossible to move through.

"Woah, dude, look. Stacie," Beca nudged Chloe as she caught sight of the tall brunette walking towards the "stage" area.

Jaiden felt two hands latch onto her lips and turned slightly to find Stacie behind her, dancing. She smirked at the older girl and synchronized her own hips with her's as she moved into the second verse.

"_Kill the lights, shut 'em off  
you're electric.  
Devil eyes telling me come and get it  
I have you like ooh  
Baby baby ooh baby baby  
Ah-ooh baby baby ooh baby baby  
Girl tonight you're the prey  
I'm the hunter  
Take you here, take you there  
Take you under  
Imagine me whispering in your ear  
That I wanna take off your clothes and put something on ya"_

Jaiden whirled around so that she was facing Stacie and bit her bottom lip as the taller girl slid her hands down her unabashedly. The rest of the song slipped her mind and she hardly noticed Cynthia Rose taking the microphone out of her hands and pushing the two of them to the side.

"Jay!" The youngest Mitchell forced herself to look away from Stacie as she heard her sister behind her.

"Beca, come on, now really isn't the time." Jaiden suppressed a gasp as she felt Stacie's hand snake its way down her back and grip just below.

"Stacie, can you give us a second? Cynthia Rose looks…bored." Chloe intervened, staring down the tall brunette with a smile that turned the request into a demand. Stacie rolled her eyes, but begrudgingly backed away from Jaiden and went back on the prowl.

"Dude, what the hell? I thought you were going to be cool tonight." Jaiden approached her sister irritably and looked between her and Chloe.

"And I thought you and I were just going to chill, but you ran off pretty damn fast." Beca fired back defensively. The taller brunette's gaze hardened and she scoffed.

"Excuse me for not wanting to be babysat all night. I could hear you're _controlling _girlfriend giving her little rant earlier and I knew you were both going to be a drag." Jaiden's eyes flickered towards Chloe before locking back on Beca. The two older girls exchanged glances as they realized they had been heard and this really wasn't going to be the night they thought that it would.

"If you call her that one more time, we're going to have a problem." Beca's voice was full of surprising authority and she stepped closer to her younger sister.

"I think we already have a few of those-" Jaiden was cut off by the feeling of her phone vibrating in her pocket. The freshman pulled it out and shot Beca another annoyed look before answering it. It was her mother.

"_Jaiden? Hello? What's all that noise? Are you at a party?" _As if she needed another irritating family member tonight.

"Yeah. I'm with Beca though, so it's cool."

"_I wanted to tell you not to come this weekend. Ted's getting out and he's going to come stay-"_

"What the fuck, Mom?" Jaiden felt her heart drop down into her stomach and she could feel Beca and Chloe's eyes on her.

"_Please don't swear like that, honey. I went to visit him last Wednesday and he was very apologetic. He'd like another chance, and everyone deserves one. I just think it's best for you to wait until he gets settled until you come back home."_

"Are you fucking kidding me? How…how can you do this? He doesn't deserve a second chance-"

"_Jaiden, that's enough. All I'm asking is that you stay at the university for a while until Ted is ready to make his apology. I'm sure your father can help if you need anything_."

"Fuck you." Jaiden hung up the phone and whirled around. She bolted towards the exit, heart thudding in her ears and mixing with the pounding of the bass from the speakers. The freshman shoved her way out of the party and into the chilly night air, practically gasping for breath by the time she got outside.

"_Fuck_!" The 18 year old shouted, running her hand through her hair and pushing it back out of her face. Her stomach twisted and she choked down a bout of nausea, oblivious to the fact that Chloe and Beca had followed her outside and were watching her, both concerned and confused. Beca finally stepped forward hesitantly and put a hand on her younger sister's shoulder. Jaiden jumped and spun around, pulling out of her grasp violently.

"Don't touch me," Jaiden backed away from the smaller brunette and shook her head. She wanted to be alone. No, she _needed _to be alone to process this. Beca couldn't help. She couldn't help the first time and this time was no different.

"Hey, no, I'm sorry. What's going on? What did Mom tell you?" The brunette asked desperately. For every step she took forward, Jaiden took one back. Beca looked to her girlfriend for help and before Jaiden could react, Chloe darted forward and grabbed her hand.

"Just tell us what it is and we can help you. _I _will help you." The redhead coaxed, keeping a tight grip on Jaiden despite her struggling. She could see fear written all over the younger girl's face. She pulled Jaiden closer and took her other hand, matching her own blue eyes with Jaiden's brown ones.

"She's taking him back," Beca spoke up from behind them and Chloe turned her head. The older Mitchell was staring down at her cellphone with a mixture of awe and disgust. "She just messaged me, saying to make sure Jaiden stays up here this weekend so he can fucking get settled."

"Oh my God." Chloe murmured, turning her attention back to the girl in front of her. Jaiden had fallen silent and still when Beca had started talking and her eyes were downcast towards the ground. Chloe let go of her cautiously and stepped back. Beca took her place, feeling completely out of her element, and uncertainly lifted Jaiden's head by the chin.

"Jay? This is…this is shit. It's not fair. But you aren't going to get hurt-"

"You said that last time." Jaiden whispered. She looked up into the older girl's eyes and sighed shakily. "If..if I ever try to go home again, I know he'll do it. He can't change."

"I'll come with you the next time, I swear to God." Beca promised solemnly. Chloe crossed her arms and came up to stand beside them.

"I will too." The volunteered softly. Jaiden looked towards her in surprise and then back at Beca.

"Do you want to sleep on our couch tonight?" The brunette offered, hoping Jaiden would agree. The last thing she wanted was for the younger girl to be on her own all night, trying to handle things. Jaiden nodded slightly and turned around on her own, starting towards the upperclassmen dorms. Chloe and Beca laced their fingers together solemnly before following her.

_**Hope you liked it! More to come soon and don't forget to review!**_


	20. Chapter 20

"You two stay in the bedroom, I'll take the couch. Goodnight." Chloe pecked Beca on the cheek after she had whispered in her ear and shut their dorm door behind them. The brunette turned to her in surprise and nodded, though still obviously thrown off by the news she had received. She had always known that her mother was weak; it was evident in the way she had never had the strength or decency to get Jaiden out of the house. But to take that man back…she just couldn't believe it.

Beca followed her younger sister into the dorm's single bedroom and closed the door behind them, figuring she'd want some privacy. If there was one thing that the Mitchells were, it was private. Jaiden stopped to stand on the opposite side of the room and Beca stared at her silently, completely at a loss for what to do.

"I know Chloe freaked out about it earlier, but do you want to smoke?" She offered finally. Jaiden turned towards her slightly and nodded a bit. The older girl sighed, feeling guilty for offering her a vice and even guiltier for not knowing a better solution, and pulled her small tin box out of the desk drawer. She sat on her bed and waited for Jaiden to come over, which she eventually did.

"Thanks." Jaiden murmured as she handed her the joint and a lighter. Beca watched as she inhaled deeply and held the smoke in her lungs as she passed the weed back to her.

"So what's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" The older of the two prodded. She took a hit, waiting for Jaiden to answer, if she even would.

"I can't believe she took him back. After everything." The freshman muttered finally, wisps of smoke escaping from her nose.

"Our parents suck." Beca noted. She watched Jaiden take another drag and waved her off when she tried to offer the joint back. "You finish the rest of that. You need it more than I do."

"Thanks. They do suck, don't they? Our father didn't stop it when it was happening and our mother's about to let it happen again." Jaiden laughed dryly and she inhaled on the joint. Her eyes were becoming more bloodshot by the second and she reclined back against the headboard.

"It won't happen again." Beca replied firmly. The older girl felt her jaw lock at the thought of Ted even looking at Jaiden again. The room was slowly clouding with a thin layer of smoke and Jaiden could feel her head growing lighter by the second.

"You can't control that, Becs. You know that. He's bigger than you." Jaiden pointed out.

"I'm serious Jaiden. If it comes down to it, I will put myself between you and him. We both know you're going to have to go home eventually, at least to get your things, and then I want you to move in with Chloe and me. We've been looking at apartments and we're putting the first payment down tomorrow." Jaiden looked up from the joint in her hand and she blinked a few times in surprise.

"I don't know if that's an okay idea." She shrugged finally. Beca leaned back on the headboard beside her and rested against her hesitantly.

"Please? I promise I'll keep Chloe off of your back and we can grab your car when we go back, so it's not like you'll be trapped with us." Beca pleaded, glancing upwards at the younger girl from her position on her shoulder. She could see the wheels turning in Jaiden's mind. "Chloe's also a really good cook, in case you haven't noticed. So, like, food." She added hopefully.

"Don't freshmen have to live on campus?"

"Dad can get that waved. Just say yes, Jaiden. It's your best option right now. I swear I'll give you your privacy. Just promise to put up with Chlo the best you can and she'll cool down eventually." Jaiden sighed loudly, smoke pouring out of her mouth, and looked down at her.

"Okay," she decided finally. "Thank you."

"Of course. I meant what I said about looking out for you. Especially now." Beca reminded her. Jaiden offered the joint to her once again and this time the older girl took it. The two of them smoked in silence for a few minutes before Jaiden finally stood up from the bed and stretched. She started towards the door and Beca got up to follow her, confused.

"Where are you going?" The older girl asked.

"Look; that party's probably still going on and I could really use a distraction for a while." Jaiden replied simply. She let herself out into the hall quietly and Beca chewed her bottom lip, unsure of what to do. Chloe sat up on the couch as the two of them crossed through the small living area and yawned. She frowned, not knowing what was going on, and looked at Beca for an explanation.

"Maybe you should just stay in tonight…" Beca let her voice trail off as Jaiden turned around to shoot her an irritated glare. "Okay then. Just, you know, be safe. Text me when you get back to your dorm safe."

Chloe watched in disbelief as her girlfriend late Jaiden slip on her jacket and walk out the door. Beca turned to her, knowing she was about to be chewed out, and braced herself.

"Beca, what the hell? Where is she going?" Chloe demanded, standing up from the couch and tossing the blanket down.

"She said she's heading back to the party. I can't control her, babe." Beca replied as non-confrontationally as she could.

"You could have barricaded the door-"

"Come here," Beca interrupted as she walked around the couch and slunk her arms around the taller girl's waist. "I don't want to fight tonight."

"But what if something happens to her? She's not in a good mindset." Chloe pulled away lightly, glancing towards the door. Beca could see the question of going after Jaiden swimming in her blue eyes and she cupped Chloe's cheek lightly.

"Jay just needs a distraction. She's going to text me when she leaves and," Beca paused for dramatic effect. "She's going to move in with us. We get the apartment on Monday, right?" Chloe's eyes lit up at the announcement and she finally was able to focus on the brunette in front of her.

"I'm sorry I'm so pushy about her. I guess I just, I don't know, um-"

"You care about her," Beca finished for her. "And I really love that."

"Well, I really love you." Chloe smiled down at her and leaned down to kiss her. She felt Beca rise up on the balls of her feet and pulled her closer. It had been a week since the two of them had had an evening together and it wasn't long before that thought took over.

"Couch," Chloe murmured, parting their lips for only a brief second. Still locked in each other's arms, the two of them maneuvered their way around the piece of furniture and collapsed onto it. Beca had ended up on top and she pulled back for a few seconds, staring down into the blue eyes below her.

"I love you, Chlo. I don't say that enough." She whispered. Chloe's eyes flickered from Beca's, down to the younger girl's lips.

"I love you more." The redhead replied finally.

* * *

Jaiden winced as she walked back into the rehearsal hall and the volume of the music hit her. The place had seemed to get even more crowded while she was gone, and she maneuvered her way through a mess of sweaty bodies, over to the liquor table. On the walk back, she had had enough alone time to start thinking about the phone call. In fact, the THC in her system had made her mind center on the idea that she would have to encounter the man who had sent her to the hospital and effectively destroyed her relationship with her sister.

"Hey! Jaiden! Where were you?" Jaiden set down the bottle of vodka she had just splashed into a cup and turned around to find Amber pushing her way towards her.

"I needed some fresh air. Have you seen Stacie?" She asked. Jaiden turned her attention back to her drink and grabbed an open can of Dr. Pepper. She poured the remainder into her plastic cup and caught sight of Amber out of the corner of her eye as the older girl finally made it to the table.

"Who?" Amber frowned in confusion. She could tell something was up with the brunette, though she didn't know her well enough to even begin to guess.

"Okay, she's tall, hot, went up when I was singing-"

"Oh, that one," Amber's eyes narrowed over towards the speakers. "She's over there with the girl running the music." Jaiden looked up from her drink and spotted Stacie, who was leaning over on the stand holding Cynthia Rose's sound equipment.

"Thanks. I'll catch you later." Jaiden picked up her cup and nodded at Amber before starting over towards Stacie. It took her around 5 minutes to finally cut across the rehearsal space, in which time she drained the vodka and soda in her cup.

"Stace," Jaiden threw her cup in the general direction of a trashcan and caught the older girl's attention as she approached. She watched Stacie's eyes lock on her and she straightened up from the table with a surprised smirk.

"I thought you bailed, Baby Mitchell." She arched an eyebrow questioningly and strutted over towards freshman, leaving an irritated Cynthia Rose in the dust.

"Okay, no, not a cute nickname," Jaiden shook her head. "So…do you want to go somewhere more private?"

"Well aren't you smooth? Come on," Stacie chuckled. She grabbed the younger girl's hand and Jaiden followed her, stumbling a bit here and there. She always knew it was a bad idea to smoke and drink and hoped desperately that Stacie was going to take the lead tonight. And by the look in Stacie's eye when she spotted her, Jaiden wasn't that worried about it.

"In here," Stacie opened a door to the left of the exit and tugged Jaiden inside. The intoxicated freshman took a second to glance around and then scoffed.

"A storage closet? What is this, Grey's Anatomy-" Jaiden was cut off as Stacie leaned down and kissed her, hard. The taller girl took Jaiden by the waist and lifted her up onto a sparsely used shelf, knocking down the few bottles of cleaner that sat on it. Jaiden instinctively wrapped her legs around Stacie, trapping the brunette against her and moaned slightly as Stacie ground her hips against her.

"Shhh. They can't hear us." Stacie warned her breathily, pulling back just long enough to whisper the order. Jaiden bit her bottom lip, astounded at how attracted she was to the older girl, and nodded. Blood rushed to her face as she felt her jeans being unbuttoned very much began to doubt how quiet she was going to be able to be.

_**Hope you guys are liking the story so far! I'll try to incorporate a little more Bechloe in and I also was wondering if you guys want to see smut in the story. I'd be happy to write it, but only if you guys want. Let me know and thank you for reading!**_


	21. Chapter 21

"You sure you can get back okay?" Stacie frowned as she watched Jaiden's zig-zagged path down the sidewalk. After their own little private party in the supply closet had ended, the two girls had snuck out, unnoticed, and maneuvered their way outside.

"I'm good. I'm all good." Jaiden waived her hand in the vague direction of Stacie and continued stumbling down the path to her dorms. The older girl chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before hurrying after her and wrapping an arm around her waist.

"No you're not. So, you get to take me home tonight." Stacie steered them in the opposite direction. Jaiden stared up at her in confusion, but relented and leaned against her as they walked.

"Stacie, dude, I'm not going to lie. I kinda like you." Jaiden admitted, resting her head on Stacie's shoulder as they walked. Her eyelids were drooping from the combination of pot, alcohol, and sex and she struggled to keep them open.

"Uh oh. That's not good." Stacie chuckled. "You don't want to like someone like me."

"What? Why not? You're like, the best." Jaiden scoffed.

"Honey, haven't you noticed that I get around?"

"Well yeah, a little. But you get around to me, so it's all good." Stacie couldn't help but laugh at the wasted girl she was escorting. "But," Jaiden spoke up again. "I wanna take you on a date. Like that's totally reversing the whole 'dinner _then _sex' thing, but whatever."

"You want to take me on a date?" Stacie arched an eyebrow and looked down at the girl who was practically attached to her hip and shook her head. "It's been a while since I heard that one."

"Like Chloe says; I have manners." Jaiden grinned.

"You're going to wake up tomorrow and not even remember this conversation."

"Not true. I have an excellent drunk memory. I, Jaiden Mitchell, would like to take you, Stacie-" Jaiden's voice broke off and she looked up at the older girls expectedly.

"Conrad."

"You, Stacie _Conrad_, on a date tomorrow night at 7 at Starbucks, where you can have the drink of your choice." Jaiden finished, her words running together as she gestured with her free hand grandly.

"Fine. I'll go. But I'm not reminding you tomorrow and if you don't show up, you don't get any of this," Stacie ran a hand down her torso. "Ever again."

"Is that a threat or a promise?" Jaiden asked, a bit taken back.

"Both." Jaiden fell silent at Stacie's reply and she struggled against the weights in her eyelids desperately. The last thing she wanted was for Stacie to have to drag her up a flight of stairs. That would be vastly unmannered and very unsexy of her. So instead, she settled for letting her head loll back onto the taller brunette's shoulder and kept her eyes locked on the pair of lighted doors in front of them. Stacie looked down at her every few steps, just to be sure that the younger girl was still awake, until they finally made it into the dorm lobby. Both of them froze as they saw Chloe standing at the bottom of the steps.

"Hey boss." Stacie smiled nervously at the redhead. Jaiden straightened up beside her, though still holding onto her waist, and offered Chloe her best sober impression.

"Hey Stace. Cynthia kept me updated on who she left with, so I can take it from here." Chloe flashed a smile that was far too radiant for 3 in the morning and waved her cellphone at the two brunettes. Stacie and Jaiden shared defeated glances and the older of the two reluctantly released her hold on her appearance.

"Come on. Oh my God, you literally smell like freshman year." Chloe wrapped an arm around Jaiden and pulled her towards the stairs, leaving Stacie to stand in the empty lobby uncomfortably. She didn't want to head up just yet because quite frankly, Chloe scared the shit out of her. There was something about the way she smiled when she was angry or sad or freaking out that made Stacie lean towards a diagnosis of mild insanity. So the brunette settled for waiting five minutes before heading up to her own dorm.

* * *

"You're not going to throw up in my bed, are you?" Chloe asked, watching Jaiden hike her way up the stairs unsteadily. The younger girl had insisted that she was fine enough to walk after they had gotten into the stairwell.

"Nope. Not a puker unless there's drugs involved. _Real _drugs. Not plants." Jaiden glanced backwards just to make sure that she got a glare for that one, and finally made it to the top of the landing. "Is Beca up?"

"No, she passed out on the couch. I know you're probably really tired, but can you and I talk for a second?" Chloe pulled out her keys as they walked down the hallway together and unlocked the door to her dorm. Jaiden nodded, a little concerned but too disoriented to worry about whatever Chloe wanted. She followed the redhead past the couch quietly and into the bedroom. Chloe shut the door behind them and watched Jaiden collapse into her sister's desk chair.

"What's up?" She asked, clasping her hands together in front of her and staring up at Chloe expectedly.

"I don't want you thinking that you can just go out and party and drink whenever something happens. That's not a solution, Jaiden." Chloe said worriedly. She sat down on the edge of the bed, right across from Jaiden, and her blue eyes shown with anxiety.

"I know that."

"I'm just really concerned that you might not have a really good coping system-"

"Woah, Chloe," Jaiden interrupted. "The hospital set me up with a shrink that I went to for two years. I know every coping mechanism in the book. I went through my shit with partying all the time and I'm fully aware it doesn't fix anything. Distractions do though, and that was my best one for tonight. I love Beca, and you know that, but hanging around her was making it worse tonight. She reminds me a lot of home, especially because I was never around her after things got better again. She reminds me of the shitty stuff. I know what's good for me and what isn't." Chloe blinked a few times in surprise. The drunken girl had made a lot of sense, for the most part.

"Wow. Okay. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, um, offend you or anything. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I've seen some people go down this road where they don't know how to handle it and…and it's just not something I want for you." Jaiden looked up from her hands to see Chloe desperately trying to wipe at a few tears.

"Dude, are you crying? Shit," Jaiden stood up from her chair unsteadily and plopped down on the bed beside her. "I swear I'm not making a move right now, but I really have no idea what to do when people cry." Jaiden put her arm around the older girl cautiously and patted her awkwardly.

"I'm sorry." Chloe apologized, sniffing sadly. It occurred to Jaiden how upset the other girl one and she sobered up significantly.

"Alright. Who was it and what happened?" Jaiden waited patiently for Chloe to collect herself enough to explain herself.

"My parents are really, really strict Christians. And my older brother Kyle…he came out of the closet in 9th grade, when I was in 7th. They hated him for it. Absolutely hated him. And he couldn't handle that, so he started doing drugs; hanging with the wrong crowd. I came out my sophomore year but by that time he had," Chloe paused for a moment and bit her bottom lip, no doubt swallowing a sob. "He overdosed on heroin in his own bedroom. I found him." Jaiden's stomach twisted at the older girl's story and she found herself unable to figure out what to do with herself.

"I'm so sorry that happened. I'm sure if he was anything like you, he was a great guy." She offered finally. Chloe shook her head and looked up at the ceiling with teary eyes.

"He was better. After I came out, they were nicer to me about it, probably scared I would go down the same road. But that didn't…"

"It didn't make up for it." Jaiden finished the statement for her and Chloe nodded.

"Well, we can all be a part of the Bad Parents Club together," Jaiden offered with a wry smile. "Now since Beca has taken up the couch, I'm entirely willing to sleep in this bed with you. _Or_," Jaiden paused for a moment. "You could let me go down to Stacie's and have it all to yourself." Chloe sighed and wiped away at her running mascara.

"Fine. _Fine_. I'm not condoning this. But text your sister once you're down there because you old her you would." Chloe relented tiredly. The redhead scooted back in her own bed as she watched her girlfriend's younger sister exit the room as quietly as she could.

* * *

Jaiden snuck past her lightly snoring sister as silently as she could and locked the door behind her. Her vision still swam lightly and she took her time going down the stairs. The last thing she needed was to wake up in a hospital giving Chloe _another _excuse to look after her. Eventually, she made it down to Stacie's room and rapped on the door lightly. Fortunately, it opened after only a few seconds. The brunette looked down at her surprise guest with a smirk.

"So you escaped?" She questioned lightly, opening the door wider so that the younger girl could step in.

"After a forced heart to heart, yes." Jaiden replied. Stacie hit the lights switch beside the door, sending the dorm into darkness, and opened one of her dresser drawers. She pulled out a t-shirt and threw it at Jaiden, who failed miserably at catching it.

"You own t-shirts? I never would have guessed." Jaiden noted as she stripped out of her top and skinny jeans. Soon after, a bra hit the floor and she shrugged into the shirt. Stacie crawled into bed and patted the space beside her impatiently.

"It's a lot of effort to look hot all the time." Stacie sighed, throwing her blankets over them both and wrapping her arm around Jaiden's waist. The younger girl glanced over her shoulder and for the first time it registered in her drunken mind that Stacie had answered the door naked.

"Trust me; you look hot all the time." She confirmed. Stacie rolled her eyes and then dropped her head onto the pillow.

"We're still going on a date tomorrow." Jaiden added a few moments later.

"Go to bed, Baby Mitchell." Stacie sighed in amusement.

"Not cute."

_**So what do we think about Staiden? And judging by your feedback, yall are cool with smut, so look out for that in the next update! Thank you for the reviews and let me know what you think of this chapter.**_


	22. Chapter 22

_Jaiden rounded the corner of her house, breathing as silently as she could. The entire building was quiet. The sort of quiet that you felt in danger for breaking. She shifted her weight from heel to toe as she stepped, praying she knew the floor well enough to avoid the creaking boards. With her eyes downcast to the hardwood, she didn't see the figure at the top of the stairs until it spoke._

"_So you decided to come home anyway?" Jaiden's head snapped up at the curious voice and her heart leapt as she met her step-father's gaze._

"_I'm just here to get my stuff," She replied softly. Her hand just reached the bannister and she gripped it tightly. The large man began walking down the flight of stairs, each one groaning under its weight. Jaiden backed off a few steps, unable to decipher whether or not he was promising violence._

"_The things that whore you called a mother and I paid for? I don't think you'll be taking your stuff back, dear." He scoffed, stepping down closer to her. Jaiden's breathing quickened and she turned around to leave, only to see Beca standing at the end of the hallway._

"_Beca," She whispered nervously. The small brunette looked past her at Ted, who had reached the bottom of the stairs, and nodded slightly._

"_I see him." Beca replied simply._

"_Can we go?" Jaiden prompted, moving towards her sister quickly. The older girl stayed put in the doorway and didn't reply. She felt her heart pounding faster as a hand clasped onto her shoulder harshly and she was pulled backwards. _

"_Beca, please! You promised to stop him." The older Mitchell sibling didn't so much as bat an eye as her sister pleaded with her. Jaiden struggled relentlessly against her stepfather's grip as Beca continued to watch in silence; her face an unreadably apathetic expression. _

"_She ain't gonna do shit." Ted laughed, hooking his arms under Jaiden's as they reached the steps. The teenager pulled against him desperately as they started towards the top of the stairs. Her feet hit the hardwood in desperate "thunks" as she fought against him, knowing what was about to occur. Beca still stood at the end of the hall, except Chloe had appeared behind her. The two of them wore matching expressions and Jaiden realized she had reached the stop of the stairs._

"_Stop just fucking standing-" Jaiden's words cut off as the grip on her arms was released and replaced by a sharp push on her back. Her forehead collided with one of the hard stairs and she caught a glimpse of the two girls at the end of the hall as she tumbled down-_

"Jaiden? Wake up." Jaiden woke up with a start to find Stacie looking down at her, her features painted in concern. The 18 year old propped herself up on her elbows and blinked the sleep from her eyes. "Are you alright? You seemed like you were having a bad dream," Stacie questioned.

"I'm fine. It was just some stupid nightmare. I always have them when I drink too much." Jaiden shook it off easily and rolled over towards the older girl. The sun was shining through the window and from the look of it; it was relatively early in the morning. "We're still going on a date tonight. But not Starbucks. That was _not _classy of me." Jaiden changed the subject quickly, offering a lightly laugh. Stacie smiled and rested her chin on Jaiden's chest, looking up at her with curious eyes.

"Oh yeah? Where are we going then?"

"Well, when I went out with Chloe a while ago, I saw this cute little Italian restaurant while we were waiting for the ambulance to come take her alcohol poison ass to the hospital. You a pasta girl" She propositioned.

"Italian works. Are you picking me up or should I meet you there, Little Miss Class?"

"I'll meet you there. 7:00 sharp," Jaiden rolled out of bed and winked at her companion. She found her jeans lying on the floor and slipped them on before snagging her shirt and her bra. "I'm keeping your t-shirt as a trophy." She added before opening the door.

"See you at 7." Stacie called out just before her door shut. Smiling to herself, she pulled her blankets up over herself tighter and went back to sleep.

* * *

Beca woke to a knocking at the door and opened her eyes to find her girlfriend running to it. Memories from last night surfaced in her head and she couldn't help but smirk as she watched Chloe from behind. The smirk was quickly wiped from her face as her sister appeared in the doorway and was replaced by a surprised smile.

"Jaiden, hey!" The tiny brunette jumped up from the couch and exchanged a subtly excited glance with Chloe. It was obvious that the redhead hadn't expected her appearance by the way she went dashing to the kitchen.

"I'm going to make breakfast!" She announced from the other room. Jaiden glanced in her general direction and half-smiled before turning her attention towards her sister.

"Hey," Beca offered finally. She patted the space on the couch beside her and Jaiden sat, though somewhat reserved. "So how was your night?"

"I'm taking Stacie on a date tonight," Jaiden replied simply. She watched her sister raise her eyebrows in surprise and leaned back against the cushions behind her.

"Stacie on a date? I'm impressed. Where are you taking her?"

"That Italian place in town. Speaking of which," Jaiden paused. "Do you think Chloe would let me borrow her car?"

"Probably. But you can also just borrow mine." Beca reasoned.

"Oh. Yeah, I didn't know you had one."

"Well, I am an adult now, so," The older girl replied dryly. Jaiden laughed under her breath before glancing down at the floor. Silence rested between them for a few minutes before she finally looked up and stared ahead.

"I want to go home this weekend and get my things. We should…we should just get it over withl." Jaiden murmured finally. Beca watched as she practically folded into herself at the idea of going home and quickly became as distant as when she had first reunited with her.

"Are you sure?" Beca asked finally. The younger girl nodded and finally looked at her. It was evident that her mind was swarming with anxiety and she nodded slightly.

"You're…you're still going to come, right?" Jaiden asked quietly.

"Of course. Chloe and I both." She reassured the 18 year old. Jaiden relaxed, but only slightly, and took a deep breath.

"I had a really bad dream last night." Beca's eyes widened and she waited patiently for her sister to go on. "I went back and he was there. And he…he started pulling me up the stairs, but you and Chloe were there. You guys just watched."

"You know that was just a dream, right?" Beca reminded her softly. Jaiden sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. Sometimes it just feels like everyone stood back and watched it happen. I mean, I know it only happened because I'm gay-"

"It happened because that piece of shit bastard-"

"It happened because I'm gay, Beca. That's what he said. That was his reason." Jaiden's voice shook and she glared at her older sister in frustration. Beca glanced towards the kitchen, hoping Chloe wouldn't come in to interrupt, and turned on the couch so she could directly face Jaiden. After the younger girl didn't follow, Beca took her by the shoulders and forced her to turn and look at her.

"We need to talk about this." She started seriously.

"About what?"

"About how you view yourself for being gay." Beca deadpanned. Jaiden dropped her gaze and chewed on her bottom lip, thinking.

"It's a sin, Becs." She muttered finally.

"Who the hell cares? I mean, I'm no Bible expert, but I'm pretty sure there's something in there about all sins being equal and the Big Guy forgives everyone for them." Beca reasoned, grabbing her sister's hands and praying she'd pay attention. The 18 year old pulled back a bit, but relented when she realized that Beca wasn't letting go and there wasn't a way out of the conversation.

"If someone can hate me that much for it, it has to be wrong." Beca's jaw clenched at her younger siblings words and she let out an exasperated sigh.

"Jay, he means _nothing_. That man is a homophobic, small-town, small minded piece of white trash and you can't care about his opinion. You are so much better than him, okay?" Beca reached up with one hand and tilted Jaiden's chin up so that she would look at her. She could read the uncertainty on the younger girl's face and decided to go another direction.

"Okay. How about Stacie? If someone said that shit about here, how would you feel? Would you think it was true?" She asked. It was clear that her point had been made when Jaiden's jaw locked and she shook her head.

"No. I'd probably hit them." Jaiden admitted. Beca couldn't help but smile at her and reached up to brush her hair out of her face.

"That's what I thought. So we'll go home on Saturday, Chloe and I will go in with you, and we'll be out before you know it. You don't have to talk to Mom, or him. We'll intercept everything and you just worry about grabbing whatever you need." Beca assured her solemnly. She waited for Jaiden to nod in understanding before standing up from the couch. She pulled the younger girl with her and then started towards the kitchen.

_**So this one's kind of short, but I'm setting up some stuff for the next one. It might be a few days before I post it because it's going to be pretty long, but feel free to drop some feedback or suggestions in the mean time! Thanks**_


	23. Chapter 23

"Do I look okay?" Jaiden frantically burst into the dorm's living area and nearly biffed it in her heels. Both Beca and Chloe broke away from the episode of The Bachelor that they were entirely engrossed in and turned around on the couch. Beca's jaw dropped immediately and she struggled to recover.

"Oh my God, yeah, um, you're in a dress. I don't think I've seen that since you were like 8." She looked her not-so-little sister up and down and smiled finally. Chloe, on the other hand, was beaming. The 18 year old had on a simple black dress that flared out above the knee and a pair of black pumps. She had run back to her dorm to get ready, assuring Beca that she would be back around 6:30 to grab her keys. It was now 6:32 and the teenager looked about ready to explode.

"Yeah, I know. Keys?" She urged, glancing around frantically. Beca sprung up off of the couch and grabbed them off of the counter. Jaiden held out her hand and caught them after a well-aimed toss. "Thanks. I'll have it back before midnight."

"Do not have sex in the back seat!" Beca called as the younger girl hurried out the door. She turned back around, hiding a small smile, and then froze when she saw Chloe. The redhead had flung off her shirt in the small amount of time between Jaiden closing the door and Beca turning around. She stared at her girlfriend, eyebrow arched, waiting to see what she would do.

"You don't have class tonight," She realized finally. Chloe shook her head and stood up before waltzing over to her and playing with the hem of Beca's shirt. The brunette sucked in a breath as Chloe lifted the article of clothing over her head and threw it to the floor.

"Your move, _Mitchell_." She whispered, leaning in so her breath gusted across Beca's bare neck. The brunette finally took the initiative and reached down towards the top of Chloe's jeans. She fumbled to unbutton them and then redhead stepped out of the denim moments later.

"Bedroom." Beca ordered, meeting a pair of lusty blue eyes as she looked up. In one swift movement, Chloe grabbed her by the hips and the younger girl jumped up, hooking her legs around her waist. The pair moved towards their bedroom, kissing one another feverishly, until Beca's back collided with the door.

"Open it." Chloe murmured, disconnecting her lips from Beca's in order to move down to her neck. The brunette suppressed a mode and unhooked one arm from around Chloe's neck in order to reach for the door handle. Finally, she was able to open it and they lurched into the bedroom. Chloe managed to slam the lights with her elbow before tossing her girlfriend down onto their bed. Beca held herself up on her elbows as Chloe practically attacked her jeans. She let the redhead tear them off, completely aroused by how demanding she was being. As soon as Chloe crawled back on top of her, Beca rolled them both over and took the top position. She pressed her lips to the older girl's hungrily as she started fiddling with her bra strap, and within seconds the undergarment had hit the floor.

"Beca," Chloe gasped as she suddenly felt the brunette slide a hand into her underwear. Beca smiled against her lips and reconnected them quickly, swallowing Chloe's moans as she went to work. It didn't take long for her to feel the redhead's hips bucking up against her and she held the older girl down lightly. Wriggling under the small brunette, Chloe pulled her lips away and arched her head back, gasping loudly. Beca took the opportunity to start marking her neck and she moved her hand even faster against Chloe's center. She loved the feeling of the redhead getting close and Beca slid two fingers inside her slowly, relishing in the moan it evoked from the older girl. A few more seconds, and Chloe came, shuddering under her girlfriend. She recovered, gasping as Beca planted a few kisses along her jawline, before reversing their positions.

"My turn," She panted, pulling Beca's underwear off in one quick motion. Chloe locked her eyes on Beca as she began to leave a trail of slow, wet kisses down her chest and down to her abdomen. The brunette bit her bottom lip, suppressing a moan as she anticipated Chloe's final destination. She gripped the comforter on the bed as Chloe continued down over her left hip bone and moved to her inner thigh.

"_Fuck_," Beca gasped finally, arching her back as Chloe's nails dug into her thighs and she spread them apart. She felt the redhead's breath against her center and had to practically bite her bottom lip off to keep from screaming as her tongue made contact. Chloe began to toy with her clit slowly, circling her tongue around the sensitive bundle of nerves. Beca felt her legs begin to shake and she struggled under Chloe's grip, unable to keep still. The older of the two slipped a few fingers into her girlfriend and began pumping them in and out at the steady pace, looking up towards Beca's face once again. She made eye contact and held it just before curling her fingers and dragging them out one final time, sending Beca into a harsh orgasm. She held the brunette's trembling leg in her free hand for a few seconds, helping her to ride it out, before crawling up and lying beside Beca. She placed a chaste kiss on the panting girl's lips before resting her head on her shoulder.

"I love you so fucking much." Beca said finally.

* * *

Jaiden slammed her sister's car into park and killed the engine, swearing as she caught a glimpse of the time. It was 7:05 and dates were not normally something she found herself wanting to be fashionably late for. Grabbing the bouquet of flowers in the passenger seat, she leapt out of the vehicle and let the door shut behind her. The 18 year old found Stacie standing by the entrance and hurried over to her, attempting to wipe the nervous expression off of her face. Casual sex was one thing, but a sit down, act polite, and talk for an hour date was entirely different.

"Hey, sorry I'm running a bit late." She apologized honestly, holding the flowers out in front of her. Stacie looked honestly shocked as she turned and came face to face with the younger girl. Now that Jaiden had donned a pair of heels, she was nearly as tall as the brunette and she found it attractive to be at the same level as her.

"I'm honestly impressed you showed up." Stacie laughed. She did her best to hide a blush as she took the flowers and then took Jaiden's cue when she opened the door for her. The two of them headed into the waiting area where Jaiden walked up to the hostess and waited for Stacie to join her.

"Reservation for Mitchell?" The older man scanned his list and paused as he found the name halfway down. With a polite nod, he gestured for them to follow him and began weaving between full tables. The restaurant was dimly lit, and practically every chair was full. Jaiden nearly fell over her own two feet as she felt Stacie grab her left hand and intertwine their fingers. She managed to keep her cool as they finally made it to a small table in the back, set for two.

"Here you are," The host said finally, setting two menus down for them. "Your server will be with your shortly." He added as they took their seats. With that, he walked away and left them in their own secluded corner.

"So, Baby Mitchell, tell me about yourself. Your life, I mean. I knew the rest," Stacie winked. She leaned forward and rested her chin in her hands, patiently waiting for the younger girl to answer.

"What do you want to know?" Jaiden shot back, choosing to politely ignore the use of her least favorite nickname.

"Well what do you do? What are you even at college for?"

"I'm majoring in Psychology, at least for now." Jaiden replied.

"Me too." Stacie smiled, leaning back in her chair. Jaiden's eyebrows rose in surprise. "What? I want to be a clinical therapist." She continued. The two broke away from their conversation as their waiter appeared, notebook in hand.

The two girls ordered and Jaiden was surprised to find that the rest of the night went surprisingly well. Stacie was easy to talk to and Jaiden didn't find herself searching desperately for conversation topics. By the time the check came, she had her card out and into the small leather book before the older girl could stop her.

"Sorry babe, but I asked you out. So, I get to pay." She winked. Stacie rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide a small smile as she watched their waiter walk away.

"Fine. So, do I get to take you home?" Stacie questioned, once again leaning onto the table. Her lips played at a smirk and she watched Jaiden turn red in the dim lighting of the room.

"Look, Stace, I want to. But this is a date and if I'm being honest, I kind of want to like, take this seriously. Because I'm really into you." Jaiden admitted anxiously. She watched Stacie's expression changed and tried to read it desperately, hoping she hadn't offended the older girl. Just then, the waiter made it back to the table and handed her back her credit card. Stacie stood up first and Jaiden nearly jumped up from her seat, her stomach a bundle of nerves. She bravely reached ahead and took the older girl's hand as they both walked out of the bustling restaurant silently.

"I'm sorry. I just…I'm not used to this, hun. I don't know if this is a good idea." Stacie turned around, an air of uncertainty on her face.

"I get it. It's okay if you don't want to do the whole dating thing. We can still just, you know, fuck if you want. But I do like you. A lot. And I think this is a good idea." Jaiden replied certainly. She took a few steps closer to the older girl and took her other hand. Stacie still had a good two inches on her, and she looked up to meet her gaze sincerely.

"Do you kiss on the first date?" Jaiden laughed quietly at the question before nodding. Stacie leaned in and kissed her, less feverishly than the night before, but twice as passionately, and cupped the younger girl's cheek. After a few seconds, they broke away and Stacie sighed. "I think you're right."

"You're going to find that that happens a lot." Jaiden replied with a very Beca-esque smirk. Forcing herself to release the older girl's hands, she took a few steps back on the sidewalk. "I guess I'll see you at rehearsal."

"I guess you will." With that, Stacie turned around and started towards her car. Jaiden stood there, watching the tall brunette walk away, before finally forcing her own feet to move.

The next five days went entirely two quickly for both of the Mitchell siblings. Chloe did her best to keep Beca distracted, but Jaiden was a loss to both of them. The younger girl ended up skipping both Bella's rehearsals that week, and only answered Beca's frantic chains of messages with the occasional "I'm fine. Stop.". Chloe demanded several times that they march over to her dorm and make sure she was alright, but Beca just barely managed to stop her each time. She knew that neither of them were going to be able to help.

"Is she even coming? Should we go over and make her?" Chloe put her hands on her hips and willed her girlfriend to do _something_. She had spent the entire week worrying about Jaiden, while Beca seemed to wave off every suggestion she made about going over to check on the younger girl. They had just finished moving all of their boxes into the new apartment and Chloe had paced past the extra bedroom about a thousand times.

"Chloe, I don't know. I'm sorry. I have no idea what to do here." Beca snapped, slamming her laptop shut in frustration. She had taken to vegging on the couch as a way of coping with her anxiety; something of which Chloe did not approve. It had been a trying few days for the both of them.

"Well, I'm going to go talk to her. She said she was going to move in with us and I think…I still think it's a good idea to go back to her house and get her things. We're all just going to worry about it until it happens." The redhead decided definitely. Beca chewed her bottom lip, uncertain as to whether or not she should stop her, and remained still on the couch as she watched her girlfriend slip on her boots and jacket. By the time the door shut behind her, Beca hadn't managed to come up with anything useful to say.

* * *

"Jaiden, are you in there? It's me, Chloe." Jaiden poked her head out from beneath her blankets as she heard the gentle knocking and voice behind her door.

"It's unlocked." She replied, just loud enough for the older girl to hear. A few seconds later, the knob turned and Jaiden watched as Chloe let herself in and took in the room's disheveled appearance. Her roommate rose from the bed across the room and stared at the redhead appreciatively.

"Thank God. Maybe you can get her up." The unfamiliar freshman said as she brushed past Chloe and out of the room. The older girl frowned in concern as she came to sit on the side of Jaiden's bed and pulled her blankets down enough so that she could actually see the girl beneath the bedding.

"Hey," Jaiden murmured softly.

"Hey. You okay?" Chloe asked worriedly. The brunette shrugged and pulled her blankets back up to her shoulders.

"Yeah. Sorry I missed practice." She apologized half-heartedly.

"It's alright," Chloe assured her. "So Beca and I are all moved into the new apartment. We've just kind of been waiting for you."

"Oh. I don't think that's a good idea anymore." Despite the fact that they were less than a foot away, the tone in Jaiden's voice left a lot of distance between herself and Chloe and the redhead picked up on it easily.

"You're shutting down right now," Chloe noted gently. The lump in the bed didn't reply, other than the slight burrowing down into her pillows. "Please don't. It just…it felt like things were getting better and we were really excited for you to move in with us. Especially Beca. And Stacie's been really worried about you too. She thinks she did something wrong. Did your date go okay?" Chloe hated to use Stacie as bait, but she was getting desperate for a reaction.

"Tell her I'm sorry and it wasn't her. Our date was fine." Jaiden's tone hardly rose above apathetic.

"Then this is about going home tomorrow, isn't it?" The freshman finally rolled over and met Chloe's gaze. Silence rested between them for a few seconds before Jaiden finally responded.

"I'm not going." She whispered.

"Jay, he's not going to hurt you again. I know what happened had to be…traumatizing to say the least. But Beca and I will walk in there with you and…and I just need you to trust us, alright?" Chloe pleaded, putting her hand on Jaiden's shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly. The 18 year old sighed loudly, trying to ignore the hand on her, before finally sitting her. By the look on her face, it was obvious she hadn't been getting a lot of sleep by the circles under her eyes.

"I don't think I can." She admitted, exhaustion painting the five words. Chloe pursed her lips and shook her head, still gripping the younger girl's shoulder.

"Yes you can. I promise." Jaiden looked up from her blankets to the pair of honest blue eyes that were waiting for her. After a few seconds of scared hesitation, she nodded slightly.

"Okay."

_**Big stuff planned in the next chapter. Stay tuned and tell me what you think.**_


	24. Chapter 24

"Beca, opened the door!" Jaiden winced as Chloe pounded on the door loudly and called for her girlfriend. The redhead had forced her to get out of bed and helped her to pack up all of her clothes and belongings into the two suitcases and one duffel bag she had brought them in. The task didn't take long, considering Jaiden hadn't even fully unpacked to begin with, and Chloe was intuitive enough not to push anything with the younger girl. She kept their conversations light and trivial, using the time to get to know other parts of Jaiden's past.

Chloe had just been about to knock again when the door opened and a very bewildered looking Beca was looking between herself and Jaiden.

"Well are you just going to stand there or are you going to let us in?" She prodded with the hand that wasn't holding one of Jaiden's suitcases and her girlfriend finally stepped aside, allowing them into the apartment. Beca watched her sister shuffle in, her comforter drawn around her shoulders and found herself once again at a loss for words.

Jaiden looked towards Chloe for direction as Beca shut the door behind them. She refused to look at her sister, not wanting Beca to catch onto her fear about the following day. She didn't want to admit to the older girl that as much as she wanted to, she couldn't trust her enough to protect her from her step-father. Not after she had promised to before and failed.

Chloe nodded towards the closed door across their apartment and started towards it, knowing that the younger girl would follow. Beca followed hesitantly, fully aware of her sister's unwillingness to so much as glance towards her, and stood at the doorway to their spare bedroom.

"So, this room is yours and totally feel free to do whatever you want with it. I was just going to order some pizza and then we can all sit in the living room and watch movies." Chloe set Jaiden's suitcase down and turned around to gauge her reaction, beaming. The 18 year old offered a forced half-smile and nodded at her.

"Thank you. Can I actually just grab a shower?" She asked quietly.

"Oh, yeah, of course. The bathroom is down the hall, on the left, and there's already towels and everything in there." Chloe replied quickly. With that, she turned around and ushered Beca back out into the living area.

"How'd you manage that?" Beca arched an impressed eyebrow as she and Chloe sat down on the couch together. The redhead instantly swung her feet into Beca's lap and pulled out her phone.

"I have my ways. And you totally owe me a foot rub, so get going." Chloe winked as she dialed the nearest pizza shop's number and held her phone up to her ear. Beca grimaced, but her love for the older girl beat out her mild fear of feet, and she begrudgingly started to massage. While Chloe was halfway through giving their new address, Jaiden walked quietly out of her new room and down the hallway. Just as Chloe hung up, the sound of the shower running filled the silence of the decently sized apartment.

"It should be here in 25 minutes." Chloe announced finally. Beca nodded and continued to rub the redhead's feet, smiling at her thoughtfully. "What're you looking at me like that for?"

"Thank you for going over there. I…I didn't know what to do." Beca explained herself softly. Chloe nodded in understanding and slid closer to her. She climbed the rest of the way into her lap and draped her arms around Beca's neck, while the slightly younger girl hooked her arms around her waist.

"It's okay. It'll take some time for you to get, I don't know, confident with her again. But you'll get there." Chloe assured her. Beca gazed up at her warmly and pulled her in closer, nuzzling into her neck.

"You're my favorite nerd in the entire world." She planted an affectionate set of kisses up the older girl's neck and then rested her head back against the cushions.

A full half an hour later, there was finally a knock at the door and Chloe was forced to get up to go and get the pizza. Just as she did, the bathroom door opened and a wet-haired Jaiden walked into view from the hallway with a towel draped around her shoulders.

"Hey, the food's here." Chloe announced as she spotted the younger girl. Jaiden nodded slightly and followed her into the kitchen, pushing her hair back out of her face and sitting down on one of the stools at their new counter. Beca hesitantly took the spot next to her and offered a small smile. Jaiden made half an attempt to return it before glancing off to the side. The kitchen was filled with a vaguely uncomfortable silence as Chloe reached into the cupboards and pulled out a few plates. The redhead set them in front of the two other girls before taking the last stool and turning to look at them both.

"One of you should just say something because this is getting super tense," She deadpanned, giving her girlfriend a look that screamed 'you first'. Beca let out an annoyed huff before slapping a piece of pizza down onto her plate and looking towards Jaiden.

"What can I do to make this easier for you?" She asked, drumming her fingers on the counter nervously. She never knew what to say when people were dealing with something. Maybe it was because she liked to be alone when she was struggling. Maybe it was just because she was bad with people.

"Nothing. You're fine. You guys are fine." Jaiden replied quietly. The teenager stared down at her empty plate and rested her chin in her hands.

"You don't even have to go in, Jay. Just tell Chloe and me what you want us to grab and you can stay in the car, doors locked." The brunette offered. Jaiden glanced towards her for a second, considering the new option, before nodding.

"Yeah." She decided.

"That's a really good idea," Chloe spoke up, staring at her girlfriend approvingly. She had been toying with the idea for a while, but wanted to see if Beca would come up with it on her own.

"Okay. Then that's what we'll do." Beca said firmly.

"I don't really need a lot. Just my guitar, a couple books, and my car keys." Jaiden seemed to liven up a bit, no doubt feeling safer about the possibility of the next day. She looked at Beca with a newfound gratitude and then sighed guiltily.

"I'm not really that hungry and I think I'm just going to go to bed. Thanks for, you know, everything." She stood up from the stood and put her plate back into one of the cabinets. Chloe and Beca watched, mildly concerned, as she walked out of the kitchen and into her room. The door shut behind her softly and she relaxed now that there were no eyes on her. The 18 year old had caught sight of a picture of the Bella's hanging on the wall behind her sister when they had been sitting at the counter, and it hit her that she had been ignoring Stacie for days. Jaiden took a deep breath before pulling out her phone and dialing the older girl's number.

"_Jaiden?" _She picked up on the third ring.

"Yeah, hey."

"_Where have you been? Is everything okay?" _Jaiden could hear the worry in her voice and bit her bottom lip guiltily.

"I'm fine. Everything's okay. I just…I had to deal with some stuff."

"_What stuff? Did I do something wrong the other night or?"_

"God, no," Jaiden shook her head and started to pace around the room. "You're great, seriously. I just…" Her voice trailed off uncertainly.

"_What is it? You can tell me." _Stacie told her gently.

"I've told you that there're some issues with my family, right?"

"_Yeah, once. Did something happen with Beca?"_

"No, no. I actually just moved into an apartment with her and Chloe. But…but I have to go home tomorrow to grab the rest of my stuff and it's just…it's freaking me out. I'm sorry." Jaiden explained herself awkwardly, still a bit hesitant to be this honest.

"_Don't apologize. I was just really worried. Is there, like, anything I can do?"_

"No. Well, not with this. But do you want to grab coffee on Sunday?" Jaiden asked hopefully.

"_I would love to," _Stacie paused for a moment. "_I'm glad you're alright. I had a really nice time the other night_."

"I did too. Thank you for, um, being so understanding. I'll see you soon." Jaiden breathed out in relief.

"_No problem. See you soon." _Jaiden heard the call drop on the other end of the line and sat down on her bed, feeling immensely better about that situation. Though her nerves were still shot from days of worrying, Beca had managed to calm them slightly with the whole 'staying in the car' plan. Just as she plugged her phone into her charger and sat it on her nightstand, there was a gentle knock at the door. A few seconds later, Beca poked her head in.

"Hey, can I come in?" She asked. Jaiden nodded and sat down on her bed with her legs crossed. The older Mitchell let herself in and closed the door behind her before sitting down beside her sister.

"You okay?"

"Mmhmm. I mean, obviously I'm a little on edge about the whole thing." Jaiden admitted. Beca laid a hand on her arm and squeezed it encouragingly, hoping she could offer at least some sort of comfort to the younger girl.

"Understandable. I was thinking we could leave around 8? That way, you know, we can get in and out and still have most of the day?" Beca suggested, making sure to keep her voice optional. She wanted Jaiden to know that she had complete control over the situation, and all of her plans were completely optional.

"Okay." The younger girl agreed and then tried in vain to suppress a yawn. She looked absolutely exhausted and it was obvious she was fighting off sleep.

"Alright. You should get some sleep then. I'll get you up at like, 7:30. Except it'll actually probably be Chloe getting us both up." The smaller girl gave her sister's arm one last squeeze before standing up from the bed and starting towards the door.

"Thank you, Beca. I'm…I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize. I don't know what you were even going to say, but there's nothing you need to be sorry for. I'll see you in the morning. Love you." Beca cut her off firmly and fell silent. She nodded instead of trying to argue and watched the brunette turn back around and open her door.

"I love you too." She murmured, just loud enough for Beca to hear. The brunette managed not to turn back around, and felt heat rush to her face as she closed the door behind her. Beca started towards her and Chloe's bedroom with a tiny smile upturning the corners of her lips. By the time she was crawling into bed, however, it had disappeared at the thought of the following day.

"How's she doing?" Chloe asked, rolling over in bed so that she could look at her girlfriend. Beca shrugged and scooted closer, until their noses were practically touching.

"She's scared. Tired."

"And you are too?" Chloe prodded.

"Yeah. Can we just go to sleep?" The younger girl replied, feigning a yawn for effect. Chloe nodded in understanding and kissed the brunette's forehead.

"Goodnight, Beca. I love you."

_**Stay tuned for the next chapter: it's going to be an angsty one. I hope you guys are digging the story so far and feel free to tell me what you think?**_


	25. Chapter 25

Jaiden found herself awake at 7:02, staring at the alarm clock on her nightstand. Her stomach had twisted into a bundle of knots after a few seconds up blissful ignorance after waking and she knew she wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep. Stretching her limbs, she stood up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. A small clank sounded from outside her door and Jaiden realized that someone else was awake. She debated for a few seconds before slipping out of her bedroom and wandering into the kitchen. A faint smell of coffee had guided her to the area and she found Chloe standing at the counter, waiting for their Keurig to finish brewing.

"Hey," Jaiden watched the older girl jump in surprise at her voice, which was still hoarse from sleep. Chloe's mildly scared features quickly turned to a warm smile and she put her hand to her chest.

"You scared the crap out of me. I never would have pegged you as a morning person." She laughed breathlessly and watched as the younger girl sat down at the bar. "Do you want coffee?" Chloe offered, already moving to grab her a mug. Jaiden nodded and watched as she reset the coffee machine with another K-Cup.

"Did you sleep okay?" Chloe asked, moving towards the fridge to grab a plastic bottle of creamer. She set it down in front of the teenager and waited for her reply. She would be lying to herself if she wasn't a bit nervous of the day to come herself, but her first priority, and Beca's, was to make sure Jaiden was as calm as possible.

"Yeah." The 18 year old replied quietly. The Keurig sputtered out the last of her coffee and Chloe crossed the kitchen to bring it to her. She gave the blue eyed girl a grateful look and then locked her gaze on the steaming mug in front of her.

"Everything's going to be okay, you know. Beca isn't going to let him anywhere near you. And neither am I for that matter." Chloe spoke reassuringly, picking up on the brunette's fried nerves.

"Thanks, 'That's So Raven'. I didn't know you could see the future." Jaiden scoffed as she took a sip of her coffee, ignoring the searing heat on her lips.

"There's the Jaiden I know and love." Chloe grinned. She felt a tiny bit of triumph as the comment earned a faint smirk from the freshman. The two girls sat in silence for the next 20 minutes, sipping at their coffees and thinking about every possible outcome for the day they were about to face. Jaiden finally stirred when the sound of footsteps came apparent from the hallway. As Beca came into view, she stood up from her stool and placed her empty mug in the sink.

"I'm going to go get dressed." She excused herself tiredly and made brief eye contact with her sister on the way back to her room. Beca paused long enough to watch her go and then turned to Chloe, who was already working on making her a cup of coffee.

"How long has she been up?" Beca asked as she hopped up on the seat Jaiden had been residing on.

"Since a little after 7. She seems alright. Anxious, of course, but I managed to get a little smile." Chloe informed her as she watched Beca's favorite blend stream into the purple mug she had grabbed.

"Good. I'm going to drive her car back, since I doubt she'll feel much like doing anything and I guess she can pick whoever she wants to ride with. Actually, she'll sleep the entire way back, so that won't really matter. She sleeps when she's stressed." Beca explained in between yawns. Chloe nodded in understanding and handed her the coffee. She finally kissed her good morning and then sat beside her.

"I'm so happy we're all living together." Chloe sighed contently, watching her girlfriend slowly begin to wake up. Even though she hated mornings, Chloe happened to love the brunette's early version. Sleepy Beca was the least defensive Beca there was and probably the most affectionate.

"Me too. I never imagined I'd be getting to see her this much at the beginning of the year. I was just going to keep my distance and hope that, you know, things would cool off eventually."

"And now you get to live with her and your beautiful girlfriend." Chloe reminded her happily. Beca glanced at her and set her coffee down. She spun around on her stool and leaned in towards the older girl, kissing her on the lips chastely.

"You're damn right I do. We should go get ready." Chloe nodded in agreement and hopped down off her stool. Beca followed her, trailing behind and squinting at the sunlight that streamed through their living room window.

* * *

Jaiden was ready at least 10 minutes before her new roommates and she perched on the arm of the couch around 7:50, waiting. She hadn't bothered with make-up beyond mascara and her hair hung down in messy waves. Figuring she might as well look as bad as she felt, she had thrown on an old hoodie and pair of ripped skinny jeans. The last thing she wanted that day was to draw any attention to herself.

Just before 8:00, the other bedroom door opened and Chloe and Beca stepped out. Jaiden shoved her hands in her pockets and followed them to the door, nodding at Chloe's "ready to go?". The trio walked silently out of the apartment complex and to Beca's car, which was several spaces away from the door, by the curb. Jaiden climbed into the backseat wordlessly and put her headphones in before pulling her hood up. The 18 year old rested her head against the window as they pulled away and Chloe and Beca exchanged worried glances in the front seat.

* * *

Two hours and 47 minutes later, Beca pulled into the driveway of her first childhood home and killed the engine. The sound of Jaiden unbuckling her seatbelt from behind caught her attention and she turned around to see the younger girl peering out the window.

"I don't think he's home. Either that, or they got rid of his truck." She noted quietly. Beca nodded, seeing that only Jaiden's car and her mother's red station wagon sat in the driveway, and turned the entire way around in her seat.

"We're going to be as quick as we can, but I do want to talk to her. I doubt I can change her mind, but…" Beca's voice trailed off.

"But she's our Mom." Jaiden finished for her. Beca sighed, grateful that she understood, and then turned to look at Chloe. The two girls opened their doors and stepped out and Jaiden finally relaxed when she watched the locks shoot down in the car. She leaned back across the seats and put her headphones back in before closing her eyes.

"Mom?" Beca called out, glancing around the house as she and Chloe walked in. The first thing that caught her eye was the litter of beer cans in the mudroom garbage can.

"Beca? Beca, is that you?" Rosanne Mitchell (who hadn't bothered to change her name back after her first marriage) replied from the top of the stairs and came down them draped in a pink robe. She froze as she noticed the unfamiliar girl beside her daughter and quickly combed her fingers through her hair. "You didn't warn me that you were coming. Or that you were bringing company, for that matter." She said indignantly.

"This is Chloe. We're just here to grab some stuff for Jaiden." Beca replied distantly. Chloe offered a small smile and a half-wave. Even she couldn't muster the ability to act approving of the older woman.

"I see. She isn't here, is she? I told her that now wasn't a good time to come home." Beca's jaw locked at her mother's words and she felt Chloe's hand on her lower back, reminding her to keep her cool. The redhead drew small circles with her fingertips, watching her girlfriend's features intently.

"Jaiden, _your daughter_, is out in the car. Is _he _here?" The brunette shot back with as much self-control as she could.

"No, he is not. But you should just grab whatever you came for and go before he gets back. I don't need things stirred up again. It was nice to meet you, Chloe." The 57 year old nodded curtly and walked back upstairs. Beca stood there, fuming, while Chloe held onto the back of her shirt, keeping her from losing it completely. As soon as the older woman was out of view, Beca stalked off towards the basement door, Chloe in tow. The two girls hurried down the wooden stairs and into the slightly furnished area.

"Okay, so she said her guitar," Chloe located the instrument leaning against the plaid sofa bed in the center of the cellar. "Her keys, and what else?" The redhead grabbed the lanyard off of the coffee table and turned towards Beca questioningly.

"These books," Beca pulled a list out of her back pocket and scanned the room. She noticed a pile of them on the desk in the far corner and began to root through them.

"Do you want to talk about that?" Chloe prompted gently. Beca clenched her teeth and shook her head, still fighting not to go upstairs and rip her mother a new one for putting some drunk ass ahead of her own kin.

"Not really much to talk about." She grunted as she found a select few titles. Her eyes ran down the list and came to the last title, which she hadn't been able to locate in the pile. "Can you look around for _To Kill a Mockingbird?" _Chloe nodded, not wanting to force the issue, and began to search around the disheveled basement for the paperback. Neither of them heard the truck pulling into the driveway.

* * *

Jaiden pulled her headphones out as she heard the slamming of a vehicle door and lurched up in the backseat. Her heart began to pound against her ribcage as she locked eyes on a beaten up, green truck in the space next to Beca's car and an all too familiar figure stumbling up towards the front porch. The 18 year old felt as though she was going to be sick as she watched her step father staggering through the grass, no doubt just getting home from a night at the bar down the street. God knows what he would be like now that he had gotten out of prison.

Jaiden knew Beca had promised to protect her, but now all she could think of was how Beca was even smaller than her and how Chloe had probably never been in a situation like this in her life. The 18 year old tossed her phone and earbuds to the floor of the car and threw open the door. She braced herself and ran past the drunken man who had just barely reached the steps and nearly flew into her house.

"_Beca!_" Jaiden yelled, slamming the door behind her and running down to the basement. Her sister met her halfway up the stairs and Chloe stood at the bottom, her blue eyes shining with panic.

"What? What's going on?" The smaller brunette asked frantically. Just then, they all heard the front door opening and then slamming shut, and Beca understood at once. She brushed around her sister and took her hand tightly before turning back to look at Chloe. "Just get ready to run towards the door, okay? Give me her keys, and you guys take my car." Beca handed Chloe her own car keys and then caught the lanyard as the redhead tossed it up to her. She felt Jaiden's hand grip her own as they crept up and out of the basement stairwell.

"There you are." Jaiden's feet froze in place as they practically came face to face with Ted. The man's face was unreadable, though significantly older, and he had taken to growing a patchy, unflattering beard. "I thought that was you."

"Get the _fuck_ out of our way." Beca's voice reached a tone that neither Chloe nor Jaiden had ever heard before. She released her hold on Jaiden's hand and shifted so that the younger girl was completely behind her and Chloe stepped closer to her, eyeing the man cautiously.

"Now this is still my house, and you ain't leaving until I talk to that one." Her slurred, pointing past Beca at her sister. Jaiden tensed at the subtle threat and she stepped back, feeling Chloe behind her. The redhead put an arm around her protectively and pulled her close.

"You want me to call the cops? I can get your ass right back in jail with three little digits-"

"_I want the fucking dyke that put me in jail!" _Ted roared out of his drunken stupor suddenly and shoved his eldest step-daughter to the side. Before any of the girls could react, he had grabbed Jaiden by the arm and yanked her towards him. By the time Beca could catch her balance, he had thrown a hard punch at the 18 year old and caught her on the left eye. She cried out in pain and braced herself for another, a familiar fear coursing through her veins.

"Don't touch her!" Beca landed a _harsh _kick in between the middle aged man's leg just as his fist reached back. The intoxicated alcoholic dropped to his knees and lost his hold on Jaiden, who stumbled back, holding the left side of her face. Chloe rushed forward and took her by the shoulders, steering her out the front door with the confidence that Beca was behind her. The trio ran towards their respected vehicles; Beca booking it into the driver's seat of her sister's car while Chloe got Jaiden into the passenger seat of the car they had driven up in. The redhead jammed the keys into the ignition and peeled out of the driveway, her heart still pounding, and then glanced over at Jaiden.

"You're okay now. You're safe." She assured her, reaching across the console and squeezing Jaiden's shoulder. The 18 year old said nothing, but shook under Chloe's hand and attempted in vain to stifle a terrified sob. Chloe glanced in the rearview mirror to double check that Beca was, in fact, behind them, before releasing her hold on Jaiden and pulling out her phone. She hit Beca's contact name immediately and the slightly younger girl picked up on the first ring.

"_There's a gas station in like, half a mile. Pull in there. Is she okay?" _The girl in the other car blurted out.

"Alright. And, I mean, physically I think." Chloe answered the question uncertainly and hung up her phone as she stepped on the gas. Sure enough, less than a minute later, she rolled up to a dingy 7/11 and put on the brakes. She had been listening to Jaiden's breathing the entire time and could hear it getting faster by the second.

"Hey? Jaiden, let's get out. Get some air." Chloe coaxed, reaching across and opening the younger girl's door. The redhead got out and went around the front of the car, just as Beca screeched to a halt in the space beside them. Before she could even move to get Jaiden out of her seat, Beca had thrown open her own door and climbed out, kneeling down to where her sister sat.

"I'm so sorry." The brunette murmured. She reached up and moved Jaiden's hand to the side, scowling as she saw the already swollen mark from where Ted had hit her. Jaiden's breathing was getting more and more labored by the second and Beca pulled her up out of the car, a hand on each of her shoulders.

"A-are you okay?" Jaiden's stammered out questions sent both of the older girls into a few seconds of shock. Beca nodded her head finally and wrapped her arms around the taller brunette. She could feel Jaiden tremble a bit, no doubt a result of the adrenaline and fear coursing through her system, and Beca rubbed her back in a meager attempt to calm her down.

"You should have stayed in the car, kid." She sighed. Jaiden's hands came up to cling to the back of Beca's shirt and she buried her face in the crook of Beca's neck. The last of her hostility towards Beca dissipated and she couldn't fight the instinctual need to be comforted. Feeling somewhat useless, Chloe stepped forward hesitantly and put her arms around the siblings in a tight hug. The three girls stood like that for a few minutes, both Beca and Chloe waiting until they could feel Jaiden's breathing rate slowing, and then untangled themselves. They watched as the younger girl wiped away at her streaked mascara and then climbed into the driver's seat of her own car.

"I'll see you guys back at the apartment." She mumbled before slamming her door shut and starting the engine. She pulled out of the gas station parking lot and sped down the road, leaving Beca and Chloe in the dust.

"Come on babe, I'll drive." Chloe nudged her girlfriend and started around to the driver's seat. Beca collapsed down into the passenger's side and shut her door, still fighting the urge to turn around, go back, and beat the shit out of the bastard who had hit her sister. Her hand had just clenched into a fist when Chloe reached across and took it. Beca relaxed after a few seconds, allowing Chloe to interlock their fingers, and took to staring out the window for the long ride back.

_**So that was a long one! Let me know what you think, and quite honestly I'm at a little bit of a loss for inspo, so any suggestions would be great! Thank you all for reading! Don't forget to review!**_


	26. Chapter 26

"Turn the car around," Chloe glanced away from the road for a brief second, completely caught off guard by her girlfriend's request. The redhead frowned, unsure about the idea, but slowed the car down significantly.

"Beca…I'm not sure that's a good-"

"I need to get her things. We said that we would and, God, I don't know. She needs something to come out of this day and her guitar makes her happy." Beca cut her off and Chloe could hear the desperation, quite evidently in her voice.

"Okay," Chloe relented and pulled into the nearest driveway she saw. After a quick three point turn, the two of them were headed back towards the house they had just fled from. Chloe's hands drummed on the steering wheel nervously and her eyes flickered again to her girlfriend. "What exactly is the plan here?"

"I'm going to grab the first solid weapon I can find and threaten to call the cops if he touches me. He's a drunk, but I think he'd be competent enough to realize his ass will go back to prison. You stay in the car and get ready to drive." Beca instructed definitely. Chloe felt a wave of unease at the thrown together course of action, but pursed her lips and said nothing. She hadn't been remotely prepared for what had actually happened at the house and felt utterly useless to the situation.

"Please be careful." The older girl requested finally. Her hand still gripped Beca's and she squeezed it once for good measure.

"I will. I promise. In and out." The brunette assured her. Chloe pursed her lips and nodded, while her hand gripped the steering wheel tighter.

* * *

Jaiden pulled her car into the space Beca had already reserved for her and killed the engine. The left side of her face was throbbing painfully and she took a second to inspect it in her rearview mirror. The discoloration had darkened already and she sighed, knowing that she was going to have to use a lot of concealer for the next few weeks. Breaking her gaze away from her reflection, Jaiden unbuckled her seatbelt and started into the apartment complex, grateful that Chloe had already gotten her a copy of their key made.

After a quick elevator ride, Jaiden unlocked the door to the apartment and stepped inside. She figured her other two roommates couldn't be too far away, but was grateful for the little bit of solitude she had now. The freshman wandered into the kitchen and opened the freezer, looking for an icepack of some sort. She settled for a bag of frozen vegetables and held it to her eye, wincing at the cold contact. Just then, her phone began to vibrate in her pocket and she fished it out.

"Hello?"

"_Hey, it's Chloe. We just pulled into your driveway because your sister wanted to go back and get your stuff, so we won't be home for a while. There's leftover pizza-"_

"What? No," Jaiden interjected. "You guys shouldn't be there. Don't let her go in."

"_I already said I didn't think it was a good idea." _Chloe's voice was laced with uncertainty and Jaiden took a deep breath, feeling her stomach twist into knots.

"Can you just put her on? She hasn't gone in yet, right?" The 18 year old requested nervously. She heard a bit of shuffling on the other end of the call before her sister's voice filled the speaker.

"_Jaiden? You okay?"_

"Don't go in. We already…we already made him mad enough, and Mom probably already told him that Chloe's your girlfriend-"

"_Whoa, whoa, calm down. He's not stupid enough to get himself sent back to prison already and he's probably passed out by now anyways. I'll be fine._" Beca assured the younger girl.

"Please don't get hurt."

"_I won't. Get some ice on your eye, take a nap, and I'll see you when we get home. Chloe can text you when we leave if it makes you feel better." _Beca offered finally, glancing at her girlfriend as she offered. Chloe nodded in understanding and then went back to staring at the front door of the house nervously.

"Okay. Bye." Jaiden relented finally. She hung up her phone and set it on the counter, still entirely against the idea of Beca going back, and retreated to the couch. Her nerves were entirely frayed from the last few hours and she yanked the blanket down across herself tiredly. The 18 year old drifted off to sleep within minutes, snoring lightly with a bag of thawing vegetables resting on the left side of her face.

* * *

"Don't do anything stupid." Chloe blurted out just as Beca opened her door. The brunette froze for a few seconds and looked back at her. "I mean, I know you're pissed at him. I am too. But please just…be rational about this. Because if you get hurt, you know she's going to blame herself." Beca's defensive stare softened at the statement and she nodded slightly. Chloe finally released her grip on the other girl's hand and watched her go, chest tightening as she got even closer to the house. The redhead popped the trunk, wanting to be ready to go as fast as she could.

Beca kept her footsteps silent as she stepped through the grass, listening for any voices that might make their way through the building's exterior. Knowing that the lock on the back entrance to the garage probably hadn't been fixed yet, she hurried around the side of the far wall and tried the doorknob. Sure enough, it opened and she crept inside the mess of a garage. The first thing she spotted was her old softball bag from 3rd grade, and she unzipped it hopefully. Beca pulled an aluminum bat out of it and stood up, knowing it would have to do if it came down to defending herself

Beca stood up from her crouched position and walked back outside, shutting the garage door behind her. She circled back around to the front of the house, shooting Chloe a look when she crossed through the driveway, and tip-toed up onto the porch. The brunette took a shaky breath before letting herself in and gripping her weapon tighter. The house was silent, apart from the low sound of a television from the living room, and she stepped past the room quietly. Her breath caught in her throat as she spotted the figure sprawled out on the couch. Ted was lying there, snoring loudly every few seconds, with a cigarette still smoking in the ashtray on the coffee table.

_Don't do anything stupid_. The words echoed in Beca's head as her jaw locked at the completely vulnerable man in front of her. Forcing herself to turn, Beca exited the living room and jumped a bit at the sound of water running upstairs. She figured her mother was about to get into the shower and relaxed significantly, knowing that she would be able to be out of the house by the time she was done.

Beca made her way down to the basement silently and found the small abandoned pile of items at the bottom of the stairs. The brunette carefully gathered the few books and was forced to set her bat down in order to lift the guitar case as well. Satisfied that she had grabbed everything, Beca scurried up the stairs, down the hall, and out the front door without waking her sleeping stepfather.

Chloe relaxed finally as she watched her girlfriend exit the front door, no sign of fear or fleeing in her steps. Beca circled around the car and set the guitar case and books in the trunk before slamming it shut. The second she had let herself into the passenger seat, Chloe leaned over and kissed her quickly.

"What was that for?" Beca asked, pulling her seatbelt across her chest.

"I'm just glad you're safe." Chloe replied simply. She started the engine and pulled out of the driveway, feeling like she couldn't get away from the house fast enough.

* * *

Jaiden paced through the apartment rapidly, staring down at her phone and debating her options. She had woken up after two and a half hours, only to find that her phone was free of notifications. Her mind had immediately jumped to the worst case scenario and now she was caught between calling the cops or calling Chloe. The idea that the two older girls could be in danger kept her from dialing the redhead's number immediately. The last thing she wanted to do was infuriate her step-father. She knew the smallest things could set him off if he was in a rampage, even something as insignificant as an ill-timed phone call. Making her decision, she had just dialed a 9 when the lock on the apartment door clicked and she heard it open.

"Be quiet, she might still be sleeping-" Jaiden rounded the corner abruptly, cutting Chloe's hushed whisper off in her tracks as she took in the younger girl's disheveled appearance. The brunette looked in between her and her girlfriend quickly, taking in their apparently uninjured appearances.

"You didn't send anything." She said finally. Chloe's eyes widened in realization and she set the guitar case in her hand down apologetically.

"God, I'm sorry, I completely forgot. Everything went fine." She clarified quickly. Jaiden's tense demeanor softened and she let out a held in breath. Beca finally shut the door behind them and sat the books she had carried onto their counter. Jaiden, now assured that the two of them were fine, turned around and started towards her room suddenly. Chloe and Beca glanced at each other as she shut the door behind her and Beca knew what her girlfriend was going to say before she even opened her mouth.

"I know," Beca muttered, starting towards the room before Chloe could prompt her to. She knocked quietly before letting herself in and finding her sister curled up on the bed. The older Mitchell crawled up next to her and laid down tiredly.

"You probably don't want to talk, do you?" Beca guessed.

"Nope."

"Do you care if I just stay here for a while?" She asked.

"That's fine," Jaiden rolled over so that she could look at the older girl. "I'm sorry I put you and Chloe in danger." She apologized shamefully.

"Don't," Beca shook her head. "We're fine and you…you're going to be fine too." Jaiden didn't reply and Beca listened as her breathing eventually evened out, knowing that she was asleep.

_**I can't believe how many views this story is getting! Thank you all for reading it and I'd love to hear what you think. Some major angst coming up in the next few chapters!**_


	27. Chapter 27

"Jaiden?" The 18 year old groaned in annoyance as she felt a gentle hand shake her shoulder. She moved to roll over, only find herself face to face with her sleeping sister. Beca's eyes fluttered open at the contact and she yawned, sleepy confusion painting her face momentarily.

"Hmm?" The smaller brunette grunted sleepily and looked up beyond her sister at the redhead that stood at the side of the bed.

"You won't be able to sleep tonight if you nap any longer." Chloe informed them wisely. The two sisters slowly managed to sit up in bed, each of them coming to their senses and stretching their stiff limbs. Jaiden yawned and then grimaced in pain as the left side of her face flared up on pain. The small reaction did not go unnoticed by Beca, who bit the inside of her cheek as she caught sight of the bruising that had developed in the past few hours. She raised her hand to inspect the mark softly, ignoring Jaiden's small wince, and then let it fall slowly.

"Let's go get some more ice on that," Beca suggested. She got to her feet and then pulled Jaiden up with her, despite the younger girl's obvious unwillingness. The three girls left the bedroom and went out to the kitchen, where Beca began rummaging through the cabinets, looking for something.

"Babe, where'd you put the Ziplocs?" Her voice sounded from inside of a cupboard and she lifted her head briefly, only to smack it on the top. "Shit."

"Below the sink; left hand side." Chloe replied with a bemused smile. Beca closed the cupboard she had been halfway into and moved down two to the left. Withdrawing one single plastic bag, the brunette stood up and crossed to their fridge. She held it to the ice machine and let it fill with cubes before finally handing it to Jaiden, who had taken her place at the bar. She held it to her face with a small hiss and then relaxed.

"So what do you two do for fun, other than anything regarding acapella?" Jaiden asked, hoping to lighten the tension a bit. She knew that the two older girls were worried about what kind of state she was in and wanted nothing more than to avoid the subject entirely.

"Um...Netflix, eating, listening to music. That's like…it. What do you want to do?" Chloe answered. Jaiden rolled her eyes at the options and shot Beca a desperate look. The older Mitchell knew her sister wasn't going to be able to sit idle around the apartment all night and debated her options quietly.

"Well, I for one would like to get drunk." Jaiden volunteered after a few seconds of silence.

"Okay, no." Chloe replied immediately. Jaiden shot her sister a desperate look and the brunette turned to her girlfriend seriously.

"I don't know, I wouldn't mind." Beca ventured. Chloe's brown furrowed and she shook her head.

"Absolutely not. That's not the way to deal with things."

"That is exactly the way to deal with things. I mean, Ted didn't teach me a lot but…" Jaiden let her voice trail off and she arched an eyebrow at the redhead, daring her to argue. Beca looked in between the two of them nervously.

"Is that really the type of lifestyle you aspire to?" She questioned.

"You literally gave yourself alcohol poisoning over a fight with Beca. So, I don't really think you're in the position to be lecturing me." Chloe opened her mouth to reply, but for once found herself without a good argument, and instead huffed irritably. She threw a hard look at Beca and the brunette threw her hands up in defense.

"We are in college," Chloe whirled around at the weak excuse and stalked off towards their bedroom. The two Mitchell siblings stayed silent for a few seconds before Beca moved for the cabinet above the fridge. Jaiden watched the tiny girl hoist herself onto the counter in order to reach it and then withdraw a nearly full bottle of Jack Daniels.

"Don't tell her, and I'm going to go kiss ass so she cools down." Beca told the 18 year old quietly. "I'll knock on your door in like 15, 20 minutes tops."

"Have fun." Jaiden smirked before turning around and walking towards her room. Beca braced herself and turned towards her own, knowing she had a lot of making up to do. She quietly opened the closed door and found Chloe sitting on the edge of their bed; obviously waiting for her.

"Chlo, I know you don't agree with this. But," Beca paused, practically expecting her to interrupt. When the redhead didn't interject, she continued: "I can't control her. And I figured that with the way today went, she was going to sneak out if we didn't let her drink here. It just seemed safer not to argue with her." Chloe bit her bottom lip at the reasoning and sighed tiredly.

"Whatever, Beca. She's your sister. Just make the right decision." The redhead muttered. Beca took one step back towards the door, uncertain of whether or not she should go. It was obvious Chloe was still upset about the situation, but then again, so was everyone. And it didn't necessarily seem right to keep Jaiden from something that would help her relax, conserving she had taken the brunt of things that day. Tearing her seemingly frozen feet from their places on the floor, she turned around and slipped back outside with a quiet "goodnight".

* * *

Jaiden took her second swig of whiskey just as a quiet knock sounded at her door. The 18 year old shot Beca a surprised look as the older girl let herself in and plopped down on the bed. She handed her sister the bottle of booze without a word, reading her expression and knowing that things were _definitely _not all patched up with Chloe.

"Sorry for pissing her off." Jaiden offered as her sister took a drink. The smaller girl shrugged and handed it back to her, grunting a bit as the alcohol burnt the back of her throat.

"Nah, I do it all the time, so, you know, nothing out of the ordinary." Beca laughed dryly and handed the bottle back to her sister. Jaiden accepted it gratefully and took a third drink. She took a deep breath and relaxed as she finally felt the warmth starting to spread into her limbs. After being on edge for so long, the whiskey was exactly what she needed.

"Thanks for going back for that stuff. He didn't…like there wasn't any trouble, right?" Jaiden asked cautiously. Beca shook her head, not wanting the younger girl to have to worry about anything else.

"No, no trouble. I went in with a softball bat," Beca admitted. Jaiden scoffed and took another drink before looking over at Beca approvingly.

"Granted, we should have with that initially, but nice choice."

"Yeah. We didn't really have a solid plan there, did we?" Beca shook her head and drank again. Her sister shifted the melting icepack on her face and then accepted the Jack Daniels back. She slid back on the mattress against the headboard and realized upon what was possibly her fourth or fifth drink that the whiskey didn't have quite as much of a bite to it. "How's that face feeling?" Beca asked as she scooted back next to her.

"Oh, it's fine. _Fuck_," The younger girl swore suddenly. "I'm supposed to meet Stacie in the morning for coffee. How the hell am I supposed to explain this?" She pulled out her phone and inspected the every darkening bruise in the front camera.

"Are you two dating now?" Beca asked curiously. Jaiden's face burned red and she quickly took another sip before shrugging.

"Well, we went on a date, obviously. But I don't know. I kind of dig her and all but Stacie's a bit of, you know, a lone wolf or whatever."

"Lone wolf-that was well put. Chloe's awesome with make-up, so I'm sure she can fix you up in the morning." Beca suggested.

"If she's not still boiling with rage by then." Jaiden chuckled. By then; her head was swimming comfortably and she felt warm and tired. The make-shift icepack had numbed her face enough for the throbbing to go down and she handed the whiskey to her sister one final time.

"You going to bed?" Jaiden nodded at the question and clumsily fumbled until she was under her comforter. Beca sat the Jack Daniels on the nightstand, along with the bag of ice that the younger girl had discarded, and went to get up. "I'll let you sleep then," she said.

"No, you can stay." Jaiden murmured, throwing a hand up blindly and catching Beca by the arm. The smaller brunette paused, a bit caught off guard, but settled back down on the bed. She turned off the bedside lamp, plunging the bedroom into darkness, and settled in beside her younger sister. The alcohol in her system was taking its toll as well and she didn't fight the exhaustion tugging at her eyelids. Beca felt a whole new rush of heat to her face as she felt Jaiden roll over and burrow into her side; a painfully familiar position for the two girls. It only took that small action to remind her of the nights they spent curled up like that, trying to ignore the sound of their parents shouting downstairs. Fighting became a nightly ritual for the Mitchell's before their divorce and Beca had always done her best to shield Jaiden from it, though that much quarrelling was impossible to cover.

"I've missed you, Becs." Jaiden's words were slightly slurred, but not at all enough to be insincere. Beca turned enough so that she could wrap one of her arms around the 18 year old and squeezed her in a half hug.

"You know I have too." She assured her. Jaiden finally felt the last of her anxiety from the day melt away and her eyes fluttered shut lazily. The Jack Daniels took over from there and the two siblings drifted off to sleep, each with minor hangovers awaiting them in the morning.

_**Let me know what you guys think! Thank you so much for reading and I'd love to hear suggestions or input!**_


	28. Chapter 28

Chloe woke up at her usual time, around 7, and padded out to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. She turned the Keurig on with a tired yawn and listened as the machine hummed to life. It whirred as it began to heat and she plucked a cup off of the mug tree before setting it down under the spout.

"Good morning." The redhead jumped as Jaiden slid onto one of the stools at the counter and smirked at her reaction. Chloe took in her appearance, seeing that the younger girl was actually conscious at such an early hour, and nodded in acknowledgment. Jaiden's smirk widened a bit as she realized that the older girl definitely was still mad about the night before. She stood back up off of the stool and rounded the island just as Chloe's coffee finished brewing. Jaiden grabbed the mug before the redhead could get to it and handed it to her with an arched eyebrow.

"Thank you." Chloe said stiffly. She took the coffee and abruptly left the kitchen. Jaiden watched her go into the living room and sit on the couch, obviously avoiding her. The teenager took her time brewing her own cup of coffee before following Chloe's footsteps and sitting down on the couch beside her.

"So how long are you going to be pissed about last night?" Jaiden asked as she reclined onto the back cushions and sipped at her coffee. Chloe shot her an unamused glance and then fixed her eyes straight ahead in a blatant attempt to ignore her. Jaiden tilted her head to the side and scoffed. "Come on Chloe, you love me. You can't stay mad forever."

"Oh, I love you? Where'd you get that assumption?" Chloe challenged.

"Well, you wouldn't be up my ass about everything if you didn't." Jaiden fired back. She poked at the older girl, ignoring her headache in an attempt to instigate her. Chloe huffed in annoyance and went back to ignoring her, only to find Jaiden sitting as close as she could. "You know, I never actually thanked you." Jaiden pointed out. When she didn't get a response, she continued; "If you hadn't kept pushing the way you did, Beca and I probably still wouldn't be speaking. I mean, you know us. You know we're both too stubborn to have made any attempts by ourselves. Beca would have continued to leave me alone and hope that time would help, and I would have kept pretending she didn't exist."

Chloe had turned to look at her in the middle of her speech and her irritated demeanor softened significantly. Jaiden replaced her smirk with a small, but genuine smile and she knew that she had patched things up for both herself and Beca.

"You're welcome." Chloe responded finally. She could tell there was something else Jaiden wanted to say and she rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"

"Beca told me that you're really good with make-up and I'm supposed to meet Stacie at 9 for coffee." Jaiden grinned hopefully and gestured towards the black and purple mark across her eye. Chloe nodded in understanding and set her mug down on the coffee table in front of them. "I'll be right back." She told her before hurrying into her and Beca's bedroom. The redhead returned less than a minute later with a small basket of make-up. She sat back down on the couch and turned sideways, prompting Jaiden to do the same.

"Thanks for this." Jaiden crossed her legs in front of her and watched as the redhead dabbed a bit of concealer onto a small brush. The second Chloe grazed her face with it, Jaiden flinched back with a gasp of pain.

"Oh, don't be such a baby." Chloe rolled her eyes and gently took a hold of the younger girl's chin; keeping her face still. Jaiden gritted her teeth as the redhead applied a thick layer of make-up over the bruise, keeping her reactions to a minimum. She relaxed as Chloe released her hold and set her brush down. The 18 year old watched as her sister's girlfriend selected a small container of similarly colored powder and dabbed it onto a pad. She patted it as lightly as she could over the layer of foundation, ignoring Jaiden's subtle winces, and then finally leaned back from her work.

"Not too bad." She grinned, reaching into the basket in order to pull out a small compact mirror. Chloe opened it and held it up so that Jaiden could inspect her face and her eyebrows rose in surprise. She was more than impressed at how well the redhead had done, though the injury wasn't completely masked. The eye was still practically swollen shut, but the discoloration wasn't nearly as distracting and she figured it would do enough to go out in public.

"What should I tell Stacie?" Jaiden asked, her nerves evident in her voice. Before Chloe could answer, the sound of a door opening interrupted them and they both turned to see Beca shuffling out of the bedroom. The brunette yawned miserably and shot the two of them an acknowledging glance before stumbling towards the coffee machine.

"If you two are getting serious, why don't you just tell her the truth?" Chloe suggested.

"Woah, I wouldn't say we're getting serious," Jaiden backpedaled immediately. The redhead stared at her skeptically and scoffed.

"Please, you're taking Stacie Conrad on dates. That's about as serious as it gets."

"True." Beca spoke up groggily from the kitchen and the two girls on the couch turned to see her walking towards them. Yawning again, Beca took a seat beside her sister and inspected Chloe's handiwork. "Looks good," She approved.

"So I should just say; 'Hey, yesterday my homophobic stepfather punched me in the face because I got him sent to prison'? Does that sound good?" Jaiden's voice was dripping with sarcasm and Beca frowned.

"Okay, first of all, you did not get him sent to prison. He got himself sent to prison. Second of all, there's probably a less blunt way to put that." The older Mitchell chastised her seriously and Jaiden rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Maybe she just won't ask." She sighed hopefully. With that, she took her empty coffee mug off of the table and stood up. "I'm going to go get dressed." She announced. Both Beca and Chloe watched her retreat to her room before turning their attention towards each other.

"Are you still mad?" Beca asked nervously. Her girlfriend sighed, but shook her head and closed the distance between the two of them on the couch. The redhead rested her head against her girlfriend's chest and wrapped her arms around her affectionately.

"No. Your sister already sucked up for you." Chloe informed her. Beca chuckled despite her hangover and ran her fingers through the redhead's hair, knowing Chloe loved it when she did that. The two sat like that for a while, content to just spend the morning in each other's company, before Beca finally spoke again.

"Did she seem like, you know, she was handing yesterday well?" Chloe glanced up at the younger woman and nodded after a few seconds of thought.

"Actually, yeah. How're you handling it?" Beca scowled as the conversation was directed towards herself.

"I'm fine. I mean, I'm mad at myself for not doing a better job at protecting her." The brunette admitted begrudgingly. Chloe always had a knack for getting her to talk about things she would have otherwise tried her best to hide and at this point in their relationship, Beca had learned not to even bother trying.

"It was just a bad situation. You couldn't have known Ted was going to come home then, and Jaiden did get out of the car." Chloe pointed out.

"That was so stupid."

"She got out because she wanted to warn you." Chloe defended the younger girl and turned her head so that she could look up at Beca. The younger girl had her jaw clenched and Chloe could tell she wasn't happy about the fact. "Don't be mad about that. She didn't want to see you get hurt."

"Yeah, but she got hurt instead." Beca argued back.

"Because she loves you, Beca. And you love her, and that's why you went back there to get her things. She knows that." Chloe assured her firmly. Beca fell silent again and her fingers started moving through Chloe's hair once more. The redhead nestled into her girlfriend, knowing that she had provided at least some sort of comfort, and rested comfortably against her as Beca slowly continued to wake up.

* * *

Jaiden slipped into a hoodie and a pair of jeans, wanting to be able to keep her hood up, and slipped out of her bedroom at about 8:35. She found her sister and Chloe curled up comfortably on the couch and slipped past them unnoticed. Jaiden managed to get out of the apartment unnoticed and she pulled her hood up over her head after she was out in the hallway. The freshman made her way towards the campus Starbucks at a leisurely pace, keeping her head down and her hands shoved in her front pocket. The apartment was only a short walk from Barden and she knew she would get there a bit early. Her stomach had twisted into a bundle of nerves and she grew increasingly anxious about what she was going to tell Stacie. After ignoring the older girl for nearly a week, Jaiden knew it was only going to look worse when she showed up with a barely masked black eye.

"Jaiden?" The 18 year old grimaced the second she stepped into the Starbucks and heard her name. She forced her eyes up from the floor and met Stacie face to face. Immediately, she watched an air of concern cross the brunette's expression and bit her bottom lip.

"I already got you your usual. I kind of texted Chloe and asked her what your order normally is." The brunette admitted sheepishly. There was a hint of tension between the two girls and it took most of Jaiden's self-control not to book it out of the coffee shop.

"Thanks." She said finally, accepting the insulated cup from the taller girl. They moved to sit down and Jaiden braced herself for the questions that would come.

"Jaiden…what's been going on with you? And what happened to you?" The older girl asked worriedly. Jaiden took a deep breath and looked down at the cup in her hands. Silence rested between them for a few seconds before Jaiden finally replied.

"Things didn't go so well when I went home." She said quietly.

"You mean someone in your family…?" Stacie's voice trailed off into an unfinished question and Jaiden nodded in admittance. The silence returned again and after a few seconds, Jaiden stood up.

"This was never a good idea. Sorry for the waste of time and thanks for the coffee." She muttered quickly before heading towards the door. Stacie stood up, abandoning their two cups on the table, and hurried after her. She hadn't known what to say to what Jaiden had told her, but it wasn't at all in a way where she was changing her mind about being involved with the younger girl. She had simply been at a loss for words.

"Please don't go. I just…I didn't know what to say." Jaiden felt Stacie's hand on her arm and fought the instinct to pull away. Instead, she stopped in the grass outside of the Starbucks and allowed Stacie to turn her around so that they were facing each other again. The taller brunette cautiously raised a hand and rested it on the left side of Jaiden's face, drawing back only slightly when she flinched.

"I'm sorry. Running's just kind of, you know, a Mitchell thing." She explained sheepishly.

"Well, I guess you're in luck, because chasing is just kind of a Conrad thing." The older girl replied. The corners of her mouth twitched at a smile and she watched Jaiden's face redden a bit in response. "Let's go somewhere that you don't have to talk." Stacie suggested hopefully. Jaiden nodded, though a bit reluctant, and allowed herself to be led onto the sidewalk. The older of the two locked their fingers together and pulled Jaiden along towards her dorm building.

"Are you trying to have sex with me at 9 AM on a Sunday?" Jaiden asked as they made their way up to Stacie's floor.

"The thought crossed my mind, but I figured you'd still be trying to keep up your chivalrous act. So we're just going to watch movies. You don't have to talk, but I still get to be around you." Stacie explained. Jaiden glanced at her out of the corner of her eye as they exited the stairwell and pulled her hood down away from her face finally. Stacie unlocked her door and then pulled the younger girl inside, flicking on the light switch as she did. Jaiden watched as she grabbed a DVD from a stack on her dresser and then flopped down onto her bed. She patted the spot beside her and Jaiden sat down next to her, leaning against the older girl lightly. Stacie pulled her laptop off of the bedside table and popped the DVD in before setting it onto Jaiden's lap abruptly and standing up. The brunette hit the lights quickly and then laid back down beside the younger girl comfortably.

"You good?" Stacie asked as she pressed play and relaxed against Jaiden. The freshman nodded and finally rested against the older girl entirely, secretly glad that Stacie had pursued her. That was something she hadn't been used to upon coming to Barden; being pursued. But then came Chloe, and Beca, and Stacie, and briefly; her father. Some of it was unwelcome and initially unwanted, but Stacie's wasn't.

_**Sorry for the bit of a wait on this one. I'm debating between just focusing on relationships or bringing Ted back into the picture in the rest of the plot, so let me know if you have a particular opinion. Thanks!**_


	29. Chapter 29

"Are you nervous?" Jaiden looked away from the mirror in front of her and found her sister standing in the doorway to their dressing room. Several weeks had passed, and the Bella's were at their first competition for the year; Regionals. The group had come along nicely and all seemed relatively confident in their ability to win, except for Chloe. The redhead had been, for lack of a stronger term, worked up for nearly two weeks, worried about the slightest possibility of something going wrong.

"Not really. You should really be checking up on your girlfriend, though." Jaiden replied as she continued to struggle with tying the yellow patterned scarf around her neck. Beca noticed her weak attempts and stepped forward to help. As she reached up to take over, Jaiden let her hands drop and stayed still as Beca finished the knot and straightened the accessory on the girl's neck.

"There," Beca announced as she finished.

"Thanks," Jaiden muttered, offering a small half smile down towards the older girl.

"We better get back there for warm-ups or Chloe will throw a fit." Beca advised her knowingly. Jaiden nodded and followed her out of the dressing room, into the hallway. The two girls made their way to the backstage area silently, occasionally stepping to the side in order to let one of their panicking competitors pass. Beca had been able to pick up on the fact that Jaiden was a bit more nervous than she had let onto. Public performances had never been Jaiden's forte and combined with the fact that she still wasn't an avid acapella fan, Beca knew she hadn't been looking forward to it. The tiny brunette knew that her words would do no good, so instead she put her hand on Jaiden's shoulder and squeezed once. Jaiden turned to her as they finally got backstage and nodded in acknowledgment.

"There you are!" Chloe breathed a sigh of relief as the two Mitchell siblings finally walked through the stage door and joined the circle. The Bella's were on deck and the older members put their hands together in the center of their group without instruction. Jaiden followed suit, looking between them in anxious confusion.

"Let's kick some ass, alright nerds?" Beca looked between her fellow singers encouragingly and locked eyes with her sister for a few seconds before nodding. With that, the group threw their hands up and sang a brief note just as their name was announced over the speakers. The group of women turned and started onto the stage, taking their positions before the lights could go up.

Beca took her place center stage and fiddled with the round pitch pipe in her hand until she knew her girls were set. Receiving an affirming nod from Chloe, who stood straight to her right, she blew on the device.

_I can move mountains, I can work a miracle_

_Work a miracle, oh, oh_

_Keep you like an oath, may nothing but_

_Death. Do. Us. Part._

Beca handed the mic off to Fat Amy, who took her place center stage and began to unleash the fury that was her performance persona.

_She wants to dance like Uma Thurman,_

_Bury me til I confess._

_She wants to dance like Uma Thurman_

_And I can't get you out of my head._

The robust blonde spun her way over to Stacie and handed her the mic. She narrowly managed to avoid a kick in the face as the taller girl effortlessly raised her foot above her head and winked at the judges.

_The stench, the stench, of summer sex_

_And CK eternity, oh hell yes._

_Divide me down to the smallest I can be_

_Put you, put your v-v-venom in me._

Beca watched as her sister pulled the second mic out from behind her back and broke out the synchronized choreography. The younger girl anxiety was evident as she shot Beca a quick, terrified glance, and began to sing.

_Climbing out the back door, didn't leave a mark_

_No one knows it's you, Miss Jackson._

_Found another victim, but no one's gonna find_

_Miss Jackson, Jackson_

Chloe grinned as the crowd applauded at the song change and caught Beca's eye across the stage. She and the younger girl had argued for quite some time about the song choices, being that the redhead hadn't been entirely on board with more alternative songs.

_You put a sour little flavor in my mouth now_

_You move in circles, hoping no one's gonna find out_

_But we're so lucky, kiss the ring and let 'em bow down_

_Looking for the time of your life_

Beca took the mic from Stacie as they crossed paths downstage and flashed a bright smile at the audience. She turned towards her sister and could tell that the younger girl was a little overwhelmed by the spotlight, so she broke out of the choreography in order to catch her attention. The older Mitchel sibling danced her way to the front of the stage and her sister followed suit, meeting her in the middle. Beca winked at her encouragingly just before they began to sing back and forth.

_Give it to me, I'm worth it_

_Are you nasty?_

_Give it to me, I'm worth it_

_Are you nasty?_

_Out the back door, goddamn, but I love her anyway._

The song ended with the last line sung in unison and the crowd stood, cheering loudly at the performance. Jaiden breathed a sigh of relief and dropped the microphone away from her mouth as she stared out into the audience. Her mother had promised to come today, and it was the first time she would see her since Beca and Chloe had accompanied her home. The older woman had called to check on her a few days later, apologizing profusely for what had happened and promising that Ted was going to his meetings and working on getting sober. Jaiden had emphasized the fact that she wanted nothing to do with the man. Despite her frustration with the fact that her mom didn't have the strength to pull away from the man, Jaiden couldn't bring herself to hate her.

"Come on," Beca pulled her seemingly frozen sister off of the stage, along with the other Bella's, and Jaiden finally snapped out of her thoughts. The two siblings were quickly bombarded with hugs from their fellow singers and Jaiden suddenly found herself face to face with Stacie. The taller brunette smiled down at her and Jaiden leaned up to kiss her casually. The two of them had officially become a couple after their third date, when, surprisingly, Stacie had been the one to ask.

"You sounded great, babe." Jaiden smiled at the compliment and then grunted in pain as Fat Amy hugged her from behind, quite harshly.

"Baby Mitchell, you kicked so much ass. But before you and your Amazon girlfriend have victory sex, we actually have to go back on and accept the trophy we have surely won." The Australian informed her. Jaiden rolled her eyes at the insinuation and grabbed Stacie's hand as all of the teams were called back onstage for the awards. Once again, the amount of people in the audience caught her off guard and she tensed, something that did not go unnoticed by Stacie. The older girl tightened her hold on Jaiden's hand, fully aware of her girlfriend's slight stage fright.

"And in third place…the Sockapellas!" Jaiden heard the announcement in the back of her mind, but she was too busy searching the audience for her mother. Eventually, just as the Treblemakers were announced as the second place winners, she picked out the woman's face about four rows back. Jaiden's already shallow breathing caught in her throat when she spotted the individual in the seat beside her.

"In first place, _The Barden Bellas!_" Jaiden felt several pairs of arms throw themselves around her at the announcement, but her eyes remained locked on the fourth row. A slow panic was building up inside of her and the applause and screaming around her blended into a cacophony of noise. She wrenched her hand out of Stacie's, at last able react, and sprinted off of the stage with nothing but fear guiding her actions. She made it out the stage door with her pulse pounding in her ears and ran, with no actual destination in mind. Only to find safety.

* * *

Beca had just been about to hug her seemingly astounded sister when the 18 year old booked it off of the stage. The older Mitchell sibling frowned in worried confusion and looked around for Chloe, who was watching Jaiden flee with a nearly identical expression to her girlfriend's. The two of them untangled themselves from the group of Bella's and hurried after Jaiden, with Stacie trailing behind them. Beca heard the sound of an additional pair of heels behind herself and Chloe and paused for a moment, turning around.

"Stace, hey, I appreciate the concern, but can you just give her some space for a bit? She's not…she's obviously upset about something and she's just not going to want a ton of attention right now." Beca's request came out much blunter than she anticipated and she winced as she watched the taller girl's face fall. Nevertheless, Stacie nodded and pursed her lips, obviously reluctant to stay behind. "Thanks," Beca added awkwardly. With that, she turned back around and went to chase after Chloe, who was still in hot pursuit of her sister.

"Chlo, wait up!" Beca called as she caught sight of the redhead the entire way down the hallway. Her girlfriend paused for a moment, allowing her to catch up, and then rounded the corner with her.

"What do you think's going on? Do you think she's sick?" The redhead asked nervously. They made their way back towards the dressing room, which was the only place they could really think to look. Upon coming to a locked door, the two singers exchanged troubled looks.

"Jaiden?" Beca knocked on the door loudly, not bothering to hide the desperation in her voice. "Jaiden, unlock the door."

"Beca?" Jaiden's reply was a cross between hopeful and scared, which only left her two pursuers even more distressed.

"Yeah, it's just me and Chloe. What's going on? Can you let us in?" The brunette asked, wiggling the door handle. To her relief, she heard the lock click and Jaiden opened it slowly. Beca and Chloe both slipped into the room before she could change her mind and watched as the younger girl shut and locked the door again as soon as they were in.

"She brought him. She brought Ted. They're in the fourth row." Jaiden blurted out. Beca's eyes widened in realization and she froze for a second, processing the information. Then her expression darkened and the brunette began looking around the room. Chloe watched as her girlfriend finally grabbed a curling iron and started towards the door with it in hand. The redhead quickly caught her by the shoulder and held her back.

"Hey, no. Beca, don't start something. This," Chloe tugged the struggling, 5' 2" brunette back forcefully and caught her gaze, "This is what you need to handle right now, not him." Chloe shifted her eyes to Jaiden for a brief second and then back to Beca, hoping she would calm down enough to see her point. The last thing she needed was for Beca to get arrested for the _second_ year in a row. The younger of the two huffed, but stopped pulling away from Chloe and put the hair styling tool down begrudgingly.

"Grab your stuff and I'll walk you out to the bus, okay?" The older Mitchell sibling sighed. Jaiden nodded slightly and moved towards her space in front of one of the lighted mirrors. Just then, there was a knock at the door and the 18 year old looked towards her sister, alarm evident in all of her features.

"Chloe? Beca? Are you two in there?" Jaiden remained on edge at the unfamiliar voice, but watched as the other two girls relaxed significantly. Chloe moved towards the door, causing Jaiden to take a few steps back, and Beca immediately crossed over to her.

"It's okay, it's an old friend of ours," She assured her. Jaiden's eyes remained fixed on the opening door and she watched as a blonde woman stepped in and pulled Chloe into a tight hug. When she pulled back and turned towards Beca, her smile dimmed only slightly and she nodded at her.

"Not the set list I would have chosen, but congratulations nonetheless." She said finally. Beca smirked and stepped forward to hug the taller woman good naturedly. After a quick embrace, she stepped back and looked at Jaiden, who was staring at the open door in subtle distress.

"Aubrey, this is Jaiden, my younger sister. Jaiden, this is Aubrey. She was co-captains with Chloe last year, when I joined." Beca introduced them quickly and then began to tug Jaiden towards the door. "We actually have to get to the bus right now, but we'll meet you guys back at the apartment, okay? Chloe, can you get her stuff?" She requested apologetically. The redhead nodded in understanding and was left alone in the dressing room with a very confused Aubrey.

_**So there was a bit of a time lapse there, but I wanted to be able to get things moving for you guys, so let me know what you think!**_


	30. Chapter 30

"Beca, I can't go out there." Jaiden came to a halt just before they entered the crowded lobby and the smaller girl was jerked to a stop. Beca had secretly found herself wishing she had brought the curling iron just in case, but she had hoped the younger girl hadn't picked up on her nerves.

"We're in public, alright Jay? Nothing's going to happen, and if we do bump into them, I will be the first to settle the score, okay? I've got you." Beca assured her solemnly. Jaiden stared into her sister's eyes uncertainly, having heard that before. The older of the two took her sister by the hand and pulled her gently. Jaiden finally managed to move and shifted to walk behind Beca, clinging to her anxiously. The two of them began to weave their way through the crowd, with Jaiden peeking over the older girl's shoulder every few seconds to check the people in front of them. She bumped into Beca's back only 20 feet from the door and felt her grip on her hand tighten significantly.

"They're waiting by the door, so we're just going to go right past, got it?" Beca turned her head enough to whisper the instruction before turning back around and starting forward again. Jaiden finally picked out her mother's face, was well as Ted's and felt her heart rate start to spike. They moved closer and she did her best to stay behind Beca, though the older girl was much shorter.

"There they are!" Beca watched as her mother pointed them out and waved excitedly. She felt a wave of heat rush to her face at the fact that she had the audacity to even be there with him, but forced herself to swallow the surge of anger. The older Mitchell grabbed the door handle and threw it open before shoving her sister through as quickly as she could. She was about to make it out herself when she felt a rough hand on her forearm and heard a "wait a minute". And that was all it took for the brunette to whirl around and land a solid punch straight to her stepfather's jaw.

"Rebecca!" Beca barely heard her mother's shocked outcry over the ringing in her ears. She watched the man she had just punched stagger aside, cupping the side of his face gingerly. Ignoring the sudden crowd of onlookers that was beginning to gather, she whirled around and walked out the door. Beca grabbed an extremely startled Jaiden by the arm and began towards the bus with her, shaking out her stinging fist along the way.

"Thanks for that." Jaiden muttered finally. Her pulse was slowly returning to normal and she glanced back around towards the door cautiously. She could still see her mother inside, tending to a bent over Ted while a small crowd stared at them unabashedly.

"Should have done it a long time ago." Beca replied. Her voice had a touch of bitterness to it; something that did not go unnoticed by her sister. The younger girl reached over and took a hold of her sister's wrist. Beca grimaced in pain as she inspected her swelling knuckles and shook her head.

"Who taught you how to punch?" The 18 year old asked. Beca rolled her eyes and pulled her injured hand away as they neared the bus. Jaiden pulled the doors opened and climbed on; grateful to be somewhere she felt relatively secure. Beca stayed on the steps hesitantly and watched the younger girl take her seat in the back.

"Are you going to be alright if I go back in and round everyone up?" Beca questioned. Jaiden nodded from her seat, obviously at ease enough to be left alone. "I'll be back as soon as I can." She promised before hopping down off of the bus. Jaiden watched her older sister head back into the building, which seemed to have cleared out significantly in the last few minutes. She couldn't seem to spot her mother and hoped that she and Ted had left already. Jaiden knew her sister wanted nothing more than to properly get her hands on the man, but she also knew that in a real fight, Beca wouldn't stand a chance.

Beca wasn't 10 steps into the lobby before Stacie both spotted and cornered her. The taller brunette had an air of franticness about her and it was obvious she had been searching relentlessly for either her or her sister.

"Is she okay?" Stacie asked as if she was almost afraid of the answer. Beca nodded immediately and then turned to look at the bus out of the large windowed wall behind them.

"Yeah. She's on the bus. Look," Beca caught Stacie by the arm before she could rush outside and lowered her voice. "I'm going to tell you this because I know she never will. Jaiden was abused by our stepfather after our parents got divorced. He showed up tonight and she's just scared right now. So if you're going to go out there, don't push." Stacie nodded; her facial features a mixture of understanding and mute distress, and then hurried out the door and into the parking lot. Beca watched the taller girl jog as best as she could in heels towards their waiting bus for a few seconds, and then began back through the dispersing crowd. She found her group of singers posing together with their newly won trophy as Aubrey snapped pictures on her phone. Despite her intense distaste for photos, Beca snuck in and took her place beside Chloe, who turned towards her with a cross between surprise and concern.

"Is she okay?" The redhead asked. The two of them froze for a moment as another picture was taken and then continued their conversation.

"Yeah. Stacie's heading out to the bus right now." Beca replied.

"You guys had no trouble getting out of here?" The younger of the two grimaced at the question and met her girlfriend's gaze with guilty eyes. Chloe picked up on that immediately. "What happened?" She demanded.

"I punched him-"

"_Beca_!"

"He tried to stop us from leaving." Beca defended herself quickly. "I wasn't taking any chances this time." Chloe's demeanor softened and she sighed down at the shorter girl.

"Well, as much as I hate it when you punch people, that was very brave." She admitted. Beca shrugged and noticed that most of their group was dispersing. She caught Aubrey's gaze and knew that the blonde was trying to figure the situation in the dressing room out.

"Did you tell Aubrey anything?" Beca questioned as she took Chloe's hand in her own good one and began towards the exit with the rest of the other Bellas. Considering that Aubrey was coming back to their apartment for the night, she knew that the issue wasn't going to be all together avoidable.

"Nope. She definitely can tell something is up though. Most of them can. I told them to give Jay some space because she wasn't feeling well." Chloe informed her quietly. Beca nodded, grateful that she was able to cover for her somewhat, and tensed as Aubrey moved closer to them. To her surprise, the blonde didn't say anything, though she could see the wheels turning in her head. She prayed that Aubrey would at least hold off until they were back at the apartment and Jaiden was taken care of. Beca knew that the younger girl would want nothing less than to end up having to explain the reason for her sudden disappearance.

"Let's just try to keep the focus off of her for tonight." Beca whispered. Her girlfriend nodded in agreement before turning to meet her friend with a bright smile. The two began to chat avidly between each other, discussing the set, the new girls, Barden, and God knows what else, as they strolled outside to the waiting bus. The Bella's filed on without much of a fuss; each of them tired and ready to call it a night. After all of the stress of having an upcoming competition, their nerves were all frayed and worn and the singers wanted nothing more than to pass out.

"Fat Amy, are you sure you're good to drive?" Beca paused beside the blonde Australian in the driver's seat; wanting to make sure they were alright to make it home. Fat Amy held an "okay" sign up to her and nodded her response, which actually only put Beca slightly at ease. "Alright then," Beca nodded before starting towards the backseat. Jaiden was resting comfortably against Stacie's shoulder, apparently asleep, and the older Mitchell sibling decided to let her rest. She figured that the younger girl deserved a bit of a break. Not to mention the fact that Stacie looked relieved to have Jaiden beside her again.

"Come here," Chloe pulled the brunette out of her thoughts and into the seat beside her, two rows from the front. The two of them settled into a comfortable position; the exhaustion of the day taking its toll on them, and it wasn't long before they drifted off to sleep for the rest of the ride.

* * *

"Hey, aca-lesbians, wake up." Beca's eyes flashed open as she was shaken awake by a very impatient Aubrey. She glanced around in sleepy confusion for a few seconds before it registered that they were back at Barden and it was finally time to go home for the night. She stood up tiredly and pulled a half-conscious Chloe with her, each of them suppressing yawns. They shuffled off of the bus together and then paused outside on the pavement, waiting for Jaiden and Aubrey to join them. Soon enough, the tall blonde approached the couple and Jaiden followed a few seconds later after a quick kiss goodbye from Stacie.

"Ready to go?" Beca asked her. Jaiden nodded, still drowsy from sleep, and started towards her car. The other three girls followed close behind and she popped the trunk so that Aubrey could put her overnight bag in. Jaiden was still relatively on edge from her run in with Ted earlier, and being around a new person certainly didn't help her nerves. She glanced at Aubrey out of the corner of her eye shyly as she shut the trunk for her and then opened the passenger's side door. The blonde offered a surprised "thank you" before getting in and buckling up, which left Chloe and Beca to get into the back seat together.

"At least one of you Mitchell girls have manners." Aubrey shot a teasing look at Beca in the rearview mirror as Jaiden got into the driver's seat. The younger girl rolled her eyes in response before resting her head on Chloe's shoulder. The three eldest women chatted idly on the short drive home-excited for the chance to catch up, and Jaiden realized upon pulling into her parking space that she could likely slip off to bed without it being too much of a big deal. She followed the trio up to their apartment silently and the second they were inside, she made a bee-line for her room. Much to her dismay, Chloe noticed the attempt immediately and caught her by the forearm.

"You're not going to bed already, are you?" The redhead asked with just the slightest hint of a pout. Jaiden sighed and shook her head.

"I guess not. Can I at least change?" Chloe nodded her approval and released the younger girl's arm, having no idea how much the small gesture had caused Jaiden's heart rate to spike. Her nerves were entirely shot and she sucked in a deep breath once she was alone in her room, willing herself to calm down. She knew that rationally, she was safe with the other three women in the apartment, but she simply couldn't bring herself to let her guard down entirely. The brunette locked her door for good measure, and the small click earned a suspicious frown from Aubrey outside.

"So what's her story?" She questioned, finally turning towards Beca and preparing for an interrogation. Her mind had been toying with various possibilities of a back story for the younger girl all night and the blonde was impatient to find out the truth. Beca and Chloe exchanged one quick glance with each other before nodding towards the living room. Aubrey followed them in and sat down with the two girls on the couch, waiting for an explanation expectantly.

"Jaiden lived with my mom after our parents got divorced and…and it wasn't really a safe environment. Her new husband was, um, really abusive and he hurt her pretty badly before getting arrested," Aubrey's eyes widened as Beca continued. Her imagination had failed to come up with anything that dire, and suddenly a lot of Beca's demeanor (which, admittedly, she had detested large parts of last year) made much more sense. "But yeah, he actually showed up tonight with our mom and it really freaked her out. So if she's like, rude or jumpy or something, don't take it personally, okay?" Aubrey nodded in understanding and looked over at the locked bedroom door sympathetically. Just then, the door handle clicked and began to turn, signaling to the three girls that their conversation was now over. Aubrey watched as Jaiden slowly opened the door and slipped out, dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, before tentatively walking over to them and perching on an armchair. She half-heartedly returned Beca's questioning smile before averting her eyes to her phone, obviously not wanting to be engaged in any sort of conversation. Not wanting to see her uncomfortable, Aubrey quickly began telling her two former teammates about the latest scandal at her new job and the three of them settled into casual conversation for the majority of the night.

_**Okay, so I've been reading your reviews and I *promise* that before this story ends, you guys will get your showdown between Beca and Ted. I already have it all planned out, so be patient, and I'll try to update as soon as I can. Let me know what you think of this chapter and thanks a bunch for reading!**_


	31. Chapter 31

Jaiden woke with a start, a thin sheet of sweat sticking to her skin, and she gasped for breath. The 18 year old struggled to get a hold of herself and gripped her bed sheets tightly, willing the last shreds of her nightmare to leave her mind. Even in her sleep, she couldn't escape the effect that her family had on her. In a split second, Jaiden stood up from her bed and ran her fingers back through her tangled hair anxiously. The freshman was past the point of panicking and had gone straight to flight mode. She needed to get away from Barden and away from her family. That was the only way not to think about any of them.

Moving silently in the dark bedroom, Jaiden grabbed a duffel bag from her closet and began to shove clothes into it. She had no specific destination in mind; in fact she had no plan at all, only to get away from everyone and anything familiar. As Jaiden threw half of the items on her dresser into the bag, she decided that she'd buy toiletries elsewhere in order to avoid a risky trip into the bathroom. The brunette knew that their guest was asleep on the couch in the living room, and the last thing she needed was for her to wake up and alert her sister.

Satisfied that she had enough, Jaiden zipped up her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and cautiously crept out into the main area of the apartment. Dim moonlight shown in through the windows and she squinted as her eyes adjusted before proceeding. Jaiden tip-toed across the wooden floor, careful not to make a sound, and made it past the couch without the sleeping blonde stirring. She held her breath as she passed Beca and Chloe's room and only dared to breathe again once she was at the door. The 18 year old slipped her sneakers on and then began to turn the door handle slowly. The tiny click as it opened sent a jolt of panic through her body and she froze momentarily; listening. To her relief, the apartment remained still and she sighed gratefully. With that, Jaiden stepped out of the apartment and shut the door behind her softly. As soon as she was out into the hallway, she fished her keys out of the front pocket of the bag and quickened her pace, desperate to be out of the building. Her mind flickered briefly to Stacie and Jaiden faltered for a second. Skipping town was going to worry the older girl beyond measure, but if she gave her a heads up, it could damage her escape plan. Jaiden picked up her pace again and hurried out of the apartment complex.

A wave of relief washed over Jaiden as her feet hit the concrete outside. The teenager rushed to her car and threw her bag in the passenger's seat. The 18 year old shoved her keys into the ignition and took off down the street. It was then that she caught sight of the time, something she hadn't done yet upon waking. She blinked in surprise to see that it was only one in the morning, which meant that she had only slept for just under two hours. Turning her attention back to the road, Jaiden pushed the gas pedal a little harder and sped up in the opposite direction from Barden.

* * *

"Beca, maybe you should check on her. It's almost noon and she hasn't even gotten up to pee." Chloe suggested. Beca rolled her eyes at the older girl and her odd familiarity with Jaiden's morning schedule as she finished her second cup of coffee for the day. Aubrey sat at their kitchen counter, watching the two girls interact with a bemused interest. Once she had gotten past her intense protectiveness over Chloe, she had come to quite like the two girls as a couple. Their contrasting qualities balanced nicely; something that she wouldn't have predicted initially.

"Fine," Beca relented. She set her mug down and brushed past the redhead, out of the kitchen. The last thing she wanted was to irritate a tired Jaiden and have her head nearly bitten off, but the brunette had also promised herself that she wouldn't argue with Chloe while Aubrey was there. "Jaiden? Are you alive in there?" She called as she knocked on the closed door. Upon getting no response, she knocked again and then listened. An immediate feeling of unease settled over Beca and she opened the door nervously. The brunette's heart dropped as she found the room empty and practically ransacked. Dresser drawers remained half open and half bare and Beca's eyes scanned the empty space where Jaiden's keys normally rested.

"She's gone," Beca gasped, running out of Jaiden's room and into the kitchen. Both Aubrey and Chloe turned to her with shocked expressions and Beca waited for one of them to do something. To do anything. A rush of panic was building up in her chest and she ran both of her hands back through her hair in exasperation.

"I'm sure she just snuck over to Stacie's or something-"

"Half of her things are gone," Beca cut her off and the redhead's disposition grew exceedingly more worried. "Her keys are gone. We need to find her." Beca murmured, more to herself than to either of the other girls. Aubrey stood up from her stool and glanced at Chloe questioningly, not knowing quite how to handle this side of Beca. She had seen the shorter girl angry and defensive and upset, but she had never seen her absolutely freak out.

"Let me call her," Chloe pulled her phone out of her pocket and found Jaiden's name in her contacts. The redhead tapped her name and listened as the device rung twice and then went straight to voicemail. She frowned, realizing that Jaiden must have denied her call, before calling her again. This time, it only rung once before going to voicemail. Chloe made eye contact with her waiting girlfriend and then shook her head. "She's not answering."

"Maybe she'll pick up if I try." Beca muttered hopefully. The tiny brunette quickly dialed her sister's number and held her phone to her ear, waiting. It barely rung twice before she was listening to Jaiden's voicemail. Beca felt her stomach tie itself into a knot and waited anxiously for the signaling beep.

"Jaiden, it's Beca. Look, I don't know what's going on or where you are, but please come back. Whatever happened, I'll help you with it. Please, just don't go. I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry," Beca's voice broke off and she struggled to fight the lump in her throat. Hanging up, she forced herself to turn back around to face the two other women who were waiting.

"I don't want to intrude here, so I suppose I'll be on my way. I hope this all works out," Aubrey bowed out gracefully and stepped towards the door with her overnight bag in hand. "Keep me updated." She mouthed at Chloe. The redhead nodded at her best friend and then turned her attention back to Beca.

"I'm going to call Stacie and see if maybe she just went over there for a few days or something, okay? I need you to breathe, Becs." Chloe squeezed Beca's shoulder once before dialing the tall singer's number and listening to it ring. To her utmost relief, Stacie's voice filled the small speaker after the third one.

"_Please don't tell me this is an aca-emergency. I'm getting my nails done right now-"_

"Have you heard anything from Jaiden since last night?" Chloe interrupted her.

"_No, why? Is something wrong?" _

"Stacie…it's starting to look like she skipped town." She informed her quietly. She could hear the other girl gasp on the other end of the line and looked briefly at Beca. It became apparently clear that the small brunette was about to lose it and Chloe couldn't handle two meltdowns at once. "Call us if you hear anything." The redhead hung up the phone and turned her full attention to Beca.

"She didn't even say anything to Stacie." Beca muttered. The tiny brunette started scrolling through her phone again with shaky hands and held it up to her ear again. "Come on, come on, come on. Pick up." Chloe watched as her girlfriend grew more and more desperate by the second and brought a hand up to her mouth as she ran through her options. Usually, calming Beca down was as easy as finding a solution to whatever her problem was. Except that Chloe didn't have one this time. She had no idea where Jaiden could have fled to. Certainly the 18 year old hadn't gone home, which meant she had exactly zero ideas.

"Beca, let's call the police, okay? Maybe they can find her." Chloe suggested finally. She was taken aback when Beca whirled around and whipped her phone across the apartment, with hot tears streaming down her face.

"They won't fucking do anything! She left on her own and she's an adult." She snapped through her tears. Chloe flinched at the severity of her voice and stepped forward in an attempt to wrap her arms around Beca. The smaller girl stepped back immediately, holding her hands out to block her.

"Beca, don't." Chloe whimpered. She couldn't stand it when Beca would push her away, especially when she knew she needed her the most. But that was always Beca's biggest hitch, or at least the one that mattered the most to Chloe. The redhead closed the distance between them before Beca could stop her and she threw her arms around her tightly. Chloe clenched her eyes shut and held on tighter as Beca attempted to escape her grip. After a few seconds of struggling, Beca finally released a held back sob against her girlfriend's chest and broke down. Her legs collapsed from under her and Chloe slowly lowered them both to the floor. They settled with Beca half in her lap, with her small arms wrapped around Chloe's neck tightly and her face buried in her shoulder. Her tears soaked through the t-shirt the older girl was wearing and Beca grimaced at how weak she felt.

"It's okay. She'll come back. Jaiden loves you, Beca. She might just need some space." Chloe assured the weeping girl softly. She tightened her grip around Beca's waist and felt utterly useless as her words did nothing to stop the sobbing.

"Everyone always leaves. They leave after I finally decide to give something and then I'm just left here, with _nothing_." Beca's voice shook on the last word and her hands curled into fists, grasping Chloe's shirt tightly. She sucked in a harsh breath as her right fist ached with pain; a harsh reminder of the events of the previous night.

"I'm never going to leave you." Chloe offered softly. She felt Beca sniffle in response and kissed the top of her head, holding her impossibly closer. The two girls sat like that for a while, until Beca's sobs eventually turned to the occasional sad sniff, and then finally, silence.

* * *

Jaiden glanced down into her cup holder, where her phone started to vibrate for what had to be the thousandth time, and then fixed her eyes back on the road. She had been ignoring the device for the last half hour, when her former roommates had apparently noticed she left. But then her mind had shifted to Stacie and the guilt had begun building up. At the next red light she came to, Jaiden picked up the iPhone and scrolled down through the notifications. Chloe's name popped up twice, Beca's twice, as well as a voicemail from her. And then Stacie had apparently left her three voicemails, as well as 6 missed calls. The 18 year old quickly deleted the three messages from her, knowing that if she listened to them, she'd turn around. Her thumb faltered on the one from Beca and she sighed before deciding to listen to it.

"_Jaiden, it's Beca. Look, I don't know what's going on or where you are, but please come back. Whatever happened, I'll help you with it. Please, just don't go. I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry," _Jaiden bit her bottom lip as she heard her sister's voice break off and the message ended. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tighter and her car slowed down for just a second before speeding up even faster. This was exactly why she couldn't go back. Beca made her weak, just as all her family members did in one way or another. She couldn't afford to be weak anymore.

_**Boom. Angst. Let me know what you think and suggestions are welcome. Really going to dig into Beca's past next chapter.**_


	32. Chapter 32

Jaiden pulled into the motel parking lot and killed her engine, completely exhausted. She had been driving for the past 13 hours and although she had downed an atrocious amount of caffeine, she was about to pass out behind the wheel. The 18 year old had quickly located the nearest Days Inn and checked her bank account on her phone. Part time jobs through high school and free tuition had left her with a sizeable amount-about $4,000-and she knew she could make it on her own for a while.

Getting out of the small vehicle and stretching her legs, Jaiden pulled up her hood and grabbed her bag out of the passenger's seat. She walked stiffly into the motel lobby to find a middle aged man sitting behind the desk. He glanced up at her in a way that hinted his irritation at actually having to deal with a guest and then begrudgingly sat down his crossword and pen.

"Just a room for a night." The teenager muttered. She handed the man her credit card, signed a quick receipt, and then accepted the small plastic key card.

"Free breakfast in the morning. Enjoy your stay." The man grunted. Jaiden nodded and then started down the hall, towards room 1105. The brunette was struggling to keep her eyes open by the time she got the door unlocked and stepped inside. The room was dingy and smelled faintly of cigarettes, but none of that mattered as Jaiden shut the door behind herself and stripped down to her bra and underwear. She collapsed into the bed tiredly and buried herself under the duvet and fell asleep within seconds.

* * *

"_She's just completely shut down. I have no idea what to do._" Aubrey frowned as she listened to her best friend's voice crack over the speakers in her car. Chloe had called her a few minutes ago and had informed her of the lack of leads in finding Beca's sister over the Bluetooth that the Kia offered.

"What's she doing?" The blonde asked sadly.

"_Sitting on the couch with her phone. She just keeps calling her and then hanging up when it goes to voicemail. I don't know how to help her." _

"Maybe you should call her father?" Aubrey suggested hesitantly. She knew well enough that the brunette didn't have a good relationship with her father, but she had nothing to offer as far as help went.

"_God, no. Aubrey, nothing's going to help her unless Jaiden comes back. And I can't make that happen, so I can't help." _Aubrey could hear the tears in her voice over the phone and bit her bottom lip. She knew damn well what it was like to not be able to help someone you love and the frustration that comes with it.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe. I really do hope she comes back. Just let Beca know that you're there for her and call me in the morning, alright? I just got to my motel, so I have to go." She said apologetically. Aubrey grimaced as she heard Chloe sniffle softly.

"_Okay. Thanks, Bree. Goodnight." _The redhead hung up and her best friend sighed as she braked in the motel parking lot. Aubrey grabbed her phone from its charger and her bag from the backseat before heading into the Days Inn. Motels had never sat well with her, but it was the halfway point between Barden and her new home and she couldn't possibly drive anymore without falling asleep behind the wheel. So the blonde made her way through the front entrance and barely managed to get a room without insulting the man at the front desk's hospitality. Aubrey had just turned and started towards her room for the night when she caught sight of a frozen figure in the hallway. It took only a second for her to realize that it was Beca's younger sister and she paused hesitantly.

"How did you find me?" The younger girl asked, glaring at the women in front of her suspiciously. Aubrey shook her head immediately, hoping that Jaiden wouldn't try to flee.

"I didn't. I had no idea you were here, I swear. I'm just on my way home."

"Bullshit. There's no way you would just be here by accident." Jaiden shook her head in disbelief and started back towards her room. "Whatever though. Even if you call Beca right now, I have a 13 hour head start."

"I won't call her," Aubrey assured the younger girl and followed her carefully. Jaiden turned around and squinted at her skeptically. "Just…she's really worried about you. And Chloe is too."

"Well, I'm fine, so that's unnecessary." Jaiden snapped. Aubrey saw the resemblance to Beca immediately and arched an eyebrow. Before the brunette would walk away from her again, she snagged her by the arm and held her in place.

"Where were you going just a second ago?" She questioned. Jaiden attempted to pull out of her grip and her gaze hardened on the older girl threateningly.

"I was going to get dinner. And if you don't let go of my arm in the next five seconds, you're going to lose one of yours." Aubrey scoffed at her, but let go of Jaiden's arm.

"Let me come with you then. I could use something to eat."

"And why would I do that?" Jaiden could feel the last ounce of patience she had left dissipate as she waited for the blonde's response.

"Because if you don't, I'll call your sister. And when you try to leave, I'll get in my car and follow you, and I'll keep telling Beca where you are until she can inevitably track us both down." Aubrey smirked triumphantly as the brunette sighed and locked her jaw.

"Fine." She relented. With that, she brushed past the taller women and stalked out of the motel, knowing that Aubrey would follow her close behind. Jaiden unlocked her car and plopped down in the driver's seat before starting the engine. Aubrey climbed into the seat behind her and pulled her phone out discreetly as the other girl started the car. They pulled out of the motel parking lot and as Jaiden checked the lane to her left, Aubrey snapped a quick candid of her and then sent it to Chloe. She followed that message with "_I just ran into her at the motel and we're going to dinner. I'll keep you posted and try to figure out what's going on with her."_ With that, Aubrey put her phone back into her bag and turned her full attention to Jaiden.

"No matter what you say, I'm not going back." The 18 year old informed her solemnly. Aubrey studied her profile from the passenger's seat for a few seconds before replying simply.

"Why?"

"Because I just needed to get out of there. I…wasn't doing well. What's your name again, by the way?" Jaiden's voice was significantly less defensive and she glanced at Aubrey for a brief second.

"Aubrey. Beca told me that you guys had some family problems-"

"Of course she did," Jaiden interrupted, shaking her head. "So now you know exactly why I left."

"No. I don't really get why you would leave Beca. She seemed to be like the only one you really had left." Aubrey pointed out innocently. Jaiden was silent beside her for a few seconds before she spoke again.

"Let's say you get into a car accident and you lose your leg, okay?" She started out and Aubrey frowned in initial confusion. "And so now you're an amputee, which sucks, right? But eventually you get used to only having one leg and the pain goes away. Unless you get into a car. Because then your brain can't help but remember the accident and suddenly, you can feel your leg again and it hurts like a bitch. I think they call that a phantom limb. So do you give up riding in a car or do you let it keep hurting?" Jaiden finished and pulled into a McDonalds parking lot. She killed the engine and then turned to look at Aubrey, waiting for her answer.

"I don't know." She admitted finally. Jaiden nodded curtly, seeing that she had made her point, and got out of the car. Aubrey followed her into the fast food place and they didn't speak again until they were at a table with two trays in front of them. Once they were seated, Aubrey took the opportunity to check her phone again. She had two missed calls and half a dozen new messages from Chloe.

"I think I'd keep riding in cars. They have therapy for amputees and your life would be so limited if you couldn't travel. And since you only have one leg, it's not like you can ride a bike instead." Aubrey decided finally. Her younger companion rolled her eyes and bit into a french fry irritably.

"So you'd be able to handle a daily reminder of that car accident and how much your leg hurt before you lost it forever?"

"Eventually, yes. You'd have to deal with it at some point." Aubrey nodded.

"That's what everyone says, but when you're actually in that situation, you can't just 'deal with it'. It's not as simple as that."

"So you've been in a position where you lost your leg in a car accident?" Aubrey raised a neatly plucked eyebrow and tilted her head to the side.

"I'm speaking metaphorically here." Jaiden said. "Beca is my phantom limb. And the second I let her back into my life, I started getting hurt again."

"But she's not the one hurting you, is she?" The question left Jaiden without a reply and she instead decided to focus on her food.

"I don't like you, Aubrey." She smiled bitterly before eating another french fry.

* * *

"Why isn't she answering? Do you think she lost her?" Beca paced back and forth behind the couch, staring down at the phone in her hands. She had grabbed the device from Aubrey the second the redhead had showed her the picture. Beca's pulse was racing and she felt practically nauseous with adrenaline at the fact that somehow, Aubrey had ended up finding Jaiden.

"Beca, calm down. Knowing Aubrey, Jaiden's going to have a hell of a time getting away from her. Just let her do her thing. Aubrey knows how to force things." Chloe assured her from her position on the couch. The older girl had been watching Beca freak out since she showed her the messages and knew there really wasn't anything she could do to calm her down. Nevertheless, she'd take this Beca over the motionless lump that had resided in the living room for most of the day.

"Should we go and get her? If we start right now and they spend the night, we could be there before she leaves." The brunette blurted out suddenly. Her eyes shone with both anticipation and hope and Chloe froze, unsure of what to say. Though there was a small possibility that the impromptu plan could work, there was more of a possibility of a desperate 13 hour drive for nothing. It was just past 2am and they were both exhausted as it was.

"Baby, let's just play it by ear for now." Chloe suggested. She watched Beca's footsteps falter and the brunette eyed her questioningly.

"How can you just be so calm about this? She ran _away, _Chloe. I fucked everything up again and she's just going to cut me out of her life _again_." Beca shouted. Chloe stood up off of the couch and hurried after her as Beca booked it towards the door. She managed to grab her by the arms just as the younger girl grabbed her keys off of the hook by the door. "Get off!" Beca grunted, pulling away from her girlfriend violently. Chloe managed to keep her hold on the brunette and tugged her away from the door.

"Beca, stop! I need you to calm down." Chloe pressed the smaller girl back against the nearest wall and held her there; afraid of what Beca would do if she let her go. She could hear Beca's breathing speeding up by the second and Chloe suddenly found the girl in front of her hardly recognizable. Never before had she seen Beca this upset.

"Let me go. I need to go." Beca insisted. Chloe shook her head and held on tighter, but Beca finally broke free with one quick shove. The brunette darted into their bedroom and slammed the door shut before Chloe could catch up to her. The redhead jiggled the door handle desperately and knocked on the door.

"Beca, open the door. Please? You're scaring me." She begged.

"I'm fine." Beca's voice shook from behind the door and Chloe pressed her ear to the thick piece of wood. She could hear footsteps and much to her alarm, Beca practically gasping for breath. Rooming with Aubrey for several years had left Chloe well equipped to deal with anxiety attacks, and that was definitely what Beca having.

"No you're not. Beca, please let me help." The redhead pleaded. Upon getting no response from the younger girl, Chloe darted off to the kitchen and began to root through their junk drawer. Much to her relief, she found the master key for the apartment after only a few seconds. Chloe hurried back over to the bedroom and fumbled to unlock the door. The moment that the lock clicked, Chloe threw open the door and found Beca with her knees pressed to her chest on the floor beside their bed. The brunette was struggling to light a joint with shaking hands and Chloe knelt down beside her hesitantly. She reached up to take the small cylinder out of her girlfriend's lips, only to be pushed away quickly. Not wanting Beca to run from her again, Chloe pushed her morals aside and instead took the lighter from her. She lit it with ease and held the flame up to the end of the joint. Beca puffed in and her frantic breathing stopped for a few seconds as she held the smoke in her lungs.

"Fuck," Beca let the smoke drift out of her mouth along with the word and she hurried to take another drag as Chloe looked on in concern. The redhead put her arm around Beca slowly and wrinkled her nose at the smell of marijuana.

"I'm going to try calling Aubrey again, okay? Can I please have my phone?" Chloe murmured softly. Beca nodded and reached into her back pocket before passing her the small device. The redhead dialed her best friend's number and listened to the phone ring.

* * *

Aubrey winced as her phone began vibrating in her pocket again and Jaiden eyed her with a subtle smirk.

"Are you going to answer it this time?" She prodded. Aubrey cocked her head to the side and shrugged.

"I don't know. Will I have to chase you down if I do?" The blonde asked. Jaiden rolled her eyes in annoyance, but shook her head and watched as Aubrey pulled the buzzing device out. The older woman kept a careful eye on her as she answered it; fully prepared to take action should Jaiden run.

"Hello?...I'm a little busy right now-what?...I don't really think that's a good idea," Aubrey paused before glancing at Jaiden nervously. "Does Beca have an anxiety disorder?" She asked softly, putting her hand over the speaker as she spoke. Jaiden's eyes widened and she tensed visibly before nodding. The 18 year old straightened up in her seat and uncrossed her arms as Aubrey turned her attention back to the phone.

"She said yes…well is she alright?...Good God, should you call someone else? Like her dad or something-"

"Give me the phone." Jaiden requested suddenly. Aubrey jumped in surprise, but handed the small device over immediately and sat back to listen. "Is she okay?" Jaiden's voice was apprehensive and she couldn't hide her concern for the older girl. She had spent her entire drive convincing herself that Beca would be fine.

"_Jaiden? Um, no, not really. Well, I don't know, maybe now she is. She was like, hyperventilating and then she got stoned and now she's just sitting here. I don't even know if she knows I'm on the phone with you." _Jaiden felt the guilt she had been fighting crash over her at the redhead's words and she sucked in a deep breath.

"Can you put her on?"

"_Yeah, sure_," There were a few seconds of rustling on the other end of the line and Jaiden braced herself.

"_Jaiden_?" Beca's voice was groggy and only half audible; something that caused Jaiden to clench her eyes shut and rub her forehead.

"Hey, Becs. Are you alright?"

"_No. Please come back. I don't know what I did, but…but I'm so sorry."_ Beca mumbled on the other end of the line. Jaiden heard her breathe in shakily and gripped Aubrey's phone tighter. She felt the last of her willpower slip away and shook her head at herself as she began to speak.

"Beca, don't apologize. You didn't…you didn't do anything-"

"_Jaiden, please. I need you here." _Beca interrupted and Jaiden fought to swallow the ever-growing lump in her throat. She turned away from Aubrey and blinked back a few tears, trying to keep a hold on herself.

"Okay. Okay, just don't do anything stupid. Listen to Chloe." Jaiden hung up the phone and handed it back to Aubrey. The 18 year old stood up and began towards the door without a word, knowing that the older woman would be close behind her anyway.

"Are you going back home?" Aubrey asked hopefully. Jaiden nodded as they made it to her car and got into the front seats. The two girls remained quiet as they drove the quick route back to the motel and Jaiden put her car into park. She was about to get out when Aubrey reached across the console and stopped her.

"Promise me that you are going to go back to Barden?" She requested seriously.

"I promise." Jaiden's voice was quiet, but sincere, and Aubrey didn't doubt her for a second. The older girl nodded once before squeezing her arm and letting herself out of the passenger's seat. Jaiden waited for a few seconds before following her back into the motel and heading towards her room. She grabbed her duffel bag from the foot of the bed and her keys from the night stand before exiting the building and getting back into her car. The 18 year old took a deep breath before starting the engine and pulling out onto the freeway.

_**So this was a big one! Little glimpse into some of beca's issues and more to come soon. Let me know what you think!**_


	33. Chapter 33

Jaiden had been driving for 6 hours when she finally had to pull over and take a few seconds. The sun had risen around 7am and that's when her fatigue had really hit her. The teenager sat in the parking lot of a gas station for a few seconds before stepping into the small store and grabbing a Redbull from the refrigerator section. She barely managed to count out the right amount to pay the cashier and mumbled a "thanks" before stumbling back out to her vehicle. The 18 year old collapsed into the front seat and opened the energy drink, praying it'd keep her awake enough to stay on the road. She was emotionally and physically wrecked at this point and wanted nothing more than to sleep, but her concern for Beca was enough to prevent her from stopping.

After downing about half of her drink, Jaiden started her car and pulled back onto the road again. The brunette had been toying with the idea of calling Stacie as soon as dawn came and she knew that eventually, she was going to have to deal with the fact that she had bailed. And the more she thought about it, a phone call seemed like the best way to handle it; at least initially. With a nervous sigh, Jaiden picked up her phone out of her cup holder and tapped the 'Recent Calls' section. Stacie's name was at the top of the list, as the older girl had continued to call well after she had fallen asleep in her motel room. Her voice filled the speaker almost immediately.

"_Jaiden?"_

"Yeah, hey. Look, I'm on my way back." She replied quietly. Jaiden heard the older girl breathe out shakily and bit her bottom lip.

"_What even happened? You just took off in the middle of the night and scared the shit out of everyone! I haven't even been able to sleep-" _

"I'm sorry. Stacie, I just…I run when I get overwhelmed. It was selfish and stupid and I…I should have called you and let you know that I was okay." Jaiden apologized profusely. Her car steadily accelerated and she weaved past the few cars in front of her.

"_Are you?"_ The question took Jaiden off guard for a few seconds and she debated hanging up. Generally, that was her go to solution when it came down to actually dealing with emotions or her current mental state. But then again, that 'solution' had gotten her into this mess, so she forced herself to respond.

"I don't know. But I totally get it if you want to call this off after, you know, what I did-"

"_Jaiden, no. I just want you back here. I…I'm in love with you." _The older girl cut her off and Jaiden's hands tightened on both her phone and the steering wheel.

"I'm in love with you too." The words had left her mouth before she really even had to think about them, and Jaiden found herself surprised at what she was saying. She was even more surprised at the fact that she absolutely meant it.

"_How far away are you?" _Jaiden glanced at the GPS on her windshield and then briefly at the clock on the radio before answering.

"About 7 hours away. I'll be back this afternoon."

"_Can I see you? Please?"_

"I have to check on Beca first, but yeah. She didn't take this whole situation well at all. I'll come over right after though, okay?" She assured the older girl.

"_None of us took it well, Jaiden," _The 18 year old cringed at the reminder and felt blood rush to her face. "_But I'll let you go. Drive safe, alright?"_

"Alright. I love you, Stacie."

"_I love you too." _Jaiden listened to the phone go silent and set the small device down. She felt surprisingly more at ease after talking to the older girl; something she truly hadn't expected. Now the only thing on her mind was Beca and she began debating calling Chloe and checking in on them. Eventually, however, her unwillingness to put herself in what could potentially be her second emotional conversation of the morning kept her focused on driving again.

* * *

Beca stared up at her ceiling and blinked lazily, attempting to follow the mess of thoughts running through her mind. She had been making her way through her stash steadily since she had woken up and instead of feeling relaxed, she was entirely overwhelmed at her inability to stop herself from flashing back to every time she had felt this badly. High school had not been a pleasant time for her, especially after Jaiden cut herself off and her father and stepmother decided to move into a richer neighborhood. The tiny brunette stiffened as a memory played clearly in her mind and she shut her eyes.

"_Emo bitch," Beca whirled around at the instigative voice and watched as a group of four girls stepped into the bathroom. It was her second day at her new school, and she had already received her fair share of judgmental stares and whispers behind her back. It was only a matter of time before the school bitches attacked. The small brunette cast her eyes downwards at the sink and hurried to rinse the soap off of her hands. The sound of heels clicking on tiled floor mixed with the sound of running water and she suddenly felt five sharp nails dig into her forearm._

"_Aren't you going to answer?" The taller blonde challenged. Beca attempted to pull herself away, only to be clenched tighter and forced to turn around. The water kept running behind her as she found herself face to face with her tormentor. _

"_What do you want me to say?" Beca deadpanned. _

"_My God, what the fuck are these?" One of the other girls ran a finger across the several piercings in her ear and Beca flinched away at her touch and listened as the other women giggled. _

"_Why don't you just go back to the trailer park you came from?" The blonde with the deadlock on Beca's arm cocked her head to the side and leaned down closer to Beca's face. She could feel the heat beginning to flood to her face and willed herself not to tear up._

"_I didn't live in a trailer park." She mumbled submissively. _

"_Bullshit. I mean, just look at you. Come on girls; let's get her somewhere a little more familiar. You're used to small places, right Trailer Trash?" Beca found herself being pulled towards the door and struggled against the hold on her arm. Before she could break loose, one of the other girls grabbed other arm and dug in just as harshly. _

"_Get off of me," Beca demanded, fighting feebly against them as she was tugged out of the bathroom and into the hall. She looked around desperately for a teacher, or anyone else that could help her, but found the hallway empty. Before the brunette could even figure out what was happening, she was shoved into a dark doorway and met face to face with a slamming door. She tried the handle, but found that it wouldn't budge, and suddenly was blasted by the smell of cleaning chemicals. The stench was overpowering and Beca slammed her fists against the door frantically. Her breathing sped up, despite the toxic scents around her, and she could hear laughing on the other side of the door. Her balance seemed to all but disappear because of the darkness and she found herself more and more disoriented by the second. The tiny brunette began to clamor around, searching for something that could help her, and she jumped as she knocked something over and heard liquid splashing on the floor. The smell of bleach hit her like a wall and she skidded back from it until she hit the door-"_

"Beca? Hey," The brunette was pulled out of her memories by her girlfriend's voice and her hand on her face. Her stare broke away from the ceiling and met Chloe's vivid eyes, which were swirling with concern. She sat up slowly and attempted to appear more competent than she felt. Nevertheless, she couldn't hide the redness of her eyes, but Chloe managed to hold back her distaste.

"Hey." Beca replied hoarsely. Chloe brushed her hair back out of her eyes and smiled sympathetically at the younger girl. She had always pushed Beca to be more honest about her feelings, but she had never expected to see this side of the brunette. It was a version of her that Chloe could hardly recognize.

"She should be here soon. I figured that you might want to, you know, shower or something." Chloe suggested gently. Beca sighed at the idea of actually doing something other than lying on the couch, but got up anyways. She shuffled across the floor, trying to walk in a straight line just in case Chloe was watching, and locked herself in the bathroom. The brunette stared at herself in the mirror and blinked a few times, trying to focus her vision. When that didn't work, she shrugged and stripped off the clothes she had been wearing for the past two days. They fell to the floor in a crumpled heap and she stepped over them before climbing into the shower. The hot water roused her from her marijuana stupor slightly and she stood under it for a few minutes before actually beginning to wash her hair. By the time the brunette made it through the suddenly difficult regimen of shampooing and conditioning, she stumbled out of the bath tub and wrung her hair out with a towel. Realizing with subtle disappointment that she had neglected to bring any new clothes in with her, Beca wrapped her towel around herself and walked through the apartment, into their bedroom. To Chloe's credit, she actually did feel a tad better as she slipped into a fresh t-shirt and sweatpants. Just as the tiny girl was about to go and search for her girlfriend, there was a gentle knock on the door. Beca's heart leapt and she came to a dead halt in the hall.

"Becs?" Chloe called from the kitchen. After a few seconds, the redhead found her and tilted her head expectantly. When Beca made no attempt to answer the door, Chloe walked forward and did it herself. She found a very sheepish looking Jaiden standing outside-her bag slung over her shoulder and a guilty expression written all over her face. Chloe hesitated for a few seconds before stepping aside and prompting her to enter. Jaiden took the hint and walked in. She set her bag down on the floor and eyed her unmoving sister at the other end of the hall. The older brunette looked as rough as she had sounded on the phone, and her wet hair hung down around her face in wavy strands. Finally, she seemed to break out of her daze and rushed towards Jaiden unabashedly. The 18 year old braced herself just in time to get hit by her older sibling full force and Beca's hands grasped the back of her sweatshirt tightly. Jaiden breathed in the familiar scent of the older girl's shampoo and wrapped her arms around her tightly. She felt Beca's torso shake with a stifled sob and glanced over at Chloe. The redhead understood that the look meant "Can you give us a minute?" and nodded in understanding. She slipped into her and Beca's bedroom silently; leaving the two siblings alone.

"I'm sorry." Jaiden's voice was thick and she rested her chin on top of Beca's head. The older girl buried her face into the crook of Jaiden's neck and whimpered something unintelligible. "Come here and sit down," The brunette coaxed. She peeled Beca off of herself and took her hand tightly. She pulled her over to the couch and sat down, unsurprised when Beca wrapped her arms around her again and rested her head on her shoulder. Jaiden situated them until they were lying down, figuring that they'd be stuck there for a while, and then began to speak.

"I shouldn't have left," She admitted. "And I didn't expect that you'd take it so hard just because, you know, we went a while without talking."

"But that killed me." Beca muttered. Jaiden jaw locked and she took a second to get a hold on her regret.

"I know. I'm just…not good at staying. You know that."

"Would you have come back if Aubrey hadn't found you?" Beca asked.

"I don't know," Jaiden rested her head back and locked her eyes on the ceiling fan above them. "Probably not as quick as I did. I guess the universe wanted to call me out on my shit."

"Please don't run again. I…I just got you back." The older girl pleaded softly.

"I won't. I promise."

_**So that was angsty! Thank you for the support and let me know what you'd like to see next!**_


	34. Chapter 34

The two Mitchell siblings rested on the couch together for a while, with Beca drifting in and out of a marijuana-induced slumber and Jaiden fighting the urge to nap as well. Chloe had crept out of their bedroom after about half an hour; a little put off by the lack of voices. The redhead had observed the two sisters with a relieved smile and then moved into the kitchen. Now that Jaiden was back, she figured that she might be able to convince Beca to eat something.

"Beca? Is it okay if I go visit Stacie for a little bit?" Jaiden shifted underneath her sister, hoping that the older girl was still awake. Beca lifted her head in response and nodded somewhat reluctantly. The two brunettes untangled themselves and Beca practically had to force herself to release her hold on Jaiden's sweatshirt as the younger girl stood. Chloe watched from the kitchen as Jaiden walked around the couch and towards the door.

"Be back in time for dinner," The redhead called gently. Jaiden turned towards her in surprise, but nodded before leaving the apartment. Breaking her gaze away from the door, Chloe noticed Beca still staring at it with an air of anxiety about her. "You okay?" The older girl asked. She left the kitchen and went to sit beside Beca on the couch.

"She'll come back, right?" Chloe sighed at her girlfriend's insecurity and laid down on the couch, pulling Beca with her. The brunette settled into a similar position to her previous one and nuzzled against Chloe's neck; too baked to fight her need to be comforted.

"Yes, she will." Chloe assured her. "But can we talk about you for a second?" Beca nodded while trying to fight the heaviness in her eyelids and waited. She could feel the steady up and down of Chloe's chest and temporarily became fixed on trying to syncopate their breathing. The redhead was warm and smelled good and Beca finally found herself calming down for the first time in the past two days.

"How come you never told me about your anxiety?" Chloe's question brought Beca out of her thoughts and the brunette tensed a bit at the inquiry.

"Because that's not something anyone needs to know." She grunted defensively. Beca felt the redhead sigh beneath her and hooked her leg over Chloe's. "Don't be mad at me for that."

"I'm not mad. I'm just concerned. It's been really hard to see you like this and I didn't know what to do to help. It was like you were shutting down." Chloe told her. Her voice rose in pitch and Beca could hear the threat of tears coming.

"I'm sorry then. I guess I probably was." She admitted.

"Do you have medication you can take, or-"

"Can we please just not talk for a while? I just…I just want to lie here with you." Beca interrupted her and Chloe fell silent. She had grown accustomed to realizing just how far she could push with the younger girl before it was time to back off, and she had now reached that point.

"Okay," Chloe agreed. With that, the two of them fell silent and Beca eventually dozed off.

* * *

Jaiden decided to walk over to campus; not wanting to see the interior of her car for a while. She took her time getting there and spent the minutes figuring out exactly what she wanted to say to Stacie when she got there. Her stomach managed to twist herself into a knot the closer she got to the dorms. By the time she got to the building, Jaiden's palms were sweating and she was struggling to even remember the small speech she had prepared. The only thing that got her feet to step through the entrance was the looming fact that Stacie was probably in her room waiting, and the older girl didn't deserve to have to wait even longer.

Jogging up the stairs, Jaiden all but sprinted down the second floor hallway until she came to Stacie's closed door. Her hand hesitated for only a second before she knocked and then took a step back, waiting. The door handle turned seconds later and Jaiden sucked in a deep breath as she came face to face with Stacie. The older girl's expression was unreadable and Jaiden could feel her pulse starting to race as they stared at each other. Finally, Stacie broke out of it and threw her arms around her. Jaiden hugged her back tightly and felt the bundle of nerves in her abdomen unravel. The taller brunette pulled back enough just so she could tilt Jaiden's chin upwards and kiss her. Jaiden practically melted into her as they stumbled into Stacie's apartment and barely managed to shut the door behind them.

"Please?" Stacie questioned desperately. Jaiden had in fact kept up her chivalrous act since the two had started dating, and to everyone's initial shock, the two hadn't slept together as a couple yet. The shorter brunette nodded and broke off the kiss for a short second in order to strip off her shirt. Stacie ran her eyes up and down the 18 year old's body adoringly before pulling off her own top. She grabbed Jaiden's hands and pulled her over to the bed. The two collapsed onto it and Stacie flipped them over so that she could hover over her girlfriend. She attacked the younger brunette's lips hungrily and nearly purred as she felt Jaiden run her hands down her sides.

"God, I love you." Jaiden murmured against the 20 year old's lips. She felt Stacie smile against her before her hands began to tug at her jeans. Jaiden lifted her hips up enough so that Stacie could yank the denim off of her and then sat up to meet her in another passionate kiss. The taller girl straddled her dominantly and wound her fingers through Jaiden's hair. Their hips ground together and Stacie struggled to suppress a moan at the pressure. Her fingers fumbled to pull Stacie's shorts off and she relished in the feeling of the older girl's skin against her's. Stacie's legs were smooth and soft and Jaiden ran her hands down them appreciatively. Her breath hitched in her throat as Stacie's lips left her's and reattached themselves to her neck. And suddenly the 18 year old found herself regretting waiting so long to do this again.

* * *

45 _blissful _minutes later, the two brunettes collapsed beside each other breathlessly. Jaiden took a second to slow her heart rate back down before rolling over and kissing Stacie again. She felt the older girl's lips curl into a smile and stroked her check affectionately before laying back.

"You're cute." Stacie grinned. She propped herself up onto her elbow and stared down at the younger girl warmly.

"You're not too bad yourself, Conrad." Jaiden smirked. She could tell what Stacie was going to say next before the words even left her mouth.

"Spend the night with me," The older girl requested. Her lover sighed and stared up at her apologetically.

"I promised Chloe I'd be home for dinner. But trust me; if I wasn't afraid of Beca having another meltdown, I would." Jaiden replied regretfully. To her relief, Stacie nodded in understanding and leaned in to kiss her again.

"Go spend time with her." She encouraged her kindly. Jaiden forced herself out of the warm bed and began putting on her discarded clothes, feeling Stacie's eyes on her the entire time. "You know she really cares about you, right? Like that's why she freaked out." The older girl spoke up. Jaiden turned halfway around as she pulled her hoodie on and rolled her eyes at the reminder. Her slight discomfort at the statement was clearly evident to the other brunette and she rolled out of bed. Jaiden watched as she draped her sheets around her body and made eye contact with her a bit abashedly.

"What?" Jaiden asked defensively. Stacie stared down at her and shook her head before placing a light kiss on her forehead. The shorter girl blushed and then resumed buttoning her jeans, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Please don't act like that's not true." Stacie requested. Jaiden glanced up at her for a second, a bit apologetic, and sighed.

"I'm sorry. This is just, you know, kind of new." She admitted. Stacie nodded in understanding and then kissed her on the lips.

"I understand. I love you." Jaiden blushed, still not quite used to the statement, and tried to hide a small smile by biting her bottom lip. The action did not go unnoticed by her girlfriend and Stacie reluctantly watched her leave the apartment with a quiet "I love you too".

* * *

Beca jolted awake from her position at the kitchen table as she heard the sound of the door handle turning and perked up immediately. Her mind had been buzzing with the possibility of Jaiden slipping away again and she had flitted around the apartment nervously since she left; too distracted to actually help Chloe with dinner, but too worked up to veg out on the couch again.

Chloe looked up from the three plates she had been fixing as Jaiden stepped into the apartment and kicked her shoes off. The 18 year old met her gaze for a few seconds, silently questioning Beca's condition, and Chloe replied with a confident nod. She tipped her head over towards the small brunette, who was watching her attentively.

"Hey, how'd things go?" Chloe asked, breaking the silence. Jaiden offered a small smile and joined them in the kitchen. It was clear that she was still a little held back, but the freshman forced herself to sit in the chair beside Beca.

"They went really well. She was, um, really excited." Jaiden replied. Chloe smirked knowingly as she walked over to them and set a plate in front of each sister. The redhead returned a few moments later with her own dinner and sat down in the third chair. She reached across the table and took Beca's hand tightly.

"Will you stay in tonight?" Beca said suddenly. Jaiden turned to her in surprise, but nodded. She had never actually seen this side of the older girl, truthfully. The only reason she had even known about her anxiety disorder was her mother, who had been arguing with Dr. Mitchell over where she developed it during one of their many phone arguments.

"Of course." She replied. Beca searched her features for any sign of insincerity for a few seconds before turning her attention to the food in front of her. She had barely had a bite to eat since Jaiden had went missing, and realized now just how empty her stomach was. Chloe watched her finally begin to eat and immediately felt more at ease. She had been slowly watching the brunette come back to herself all day, and now that the threat of Jaiden not coming back again was gone, Beca seemed more…Beca. Or at least the version of her that Chloe had become accustomed to.

"Your friend Aubrey…she's pretty forceful." Jaiden noted, glancing up from her plate and smirking at Chloe. The redhead chuckled and nodded in agreement before taking a bite of her food.

"You should have seen her when we were captains. Way worse." Chloe assured her. "So what exactly did she say to you?"

"Well, I tried to get away from her first, but she basically threatened to follow me wherever I went and call both of you, so I let her come to dinner with me. We were kind of bantering for a while until you called, and then, you know, I got worried. I mean, I was worried before and everything, but I was just trying to block it out." Jaiden explained. "But that phone call just…I couldn't ignore it anymore. I had to come back. And again, I'm just really sorry-"

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize again." The redhead assured her. Jaiden paused for a moment before nodding in understanding. She was beginning to understand why she was so good with Beca. Chloe was comforting, encouraging, and immensely easy to be around. And as much as Beca always insisted that those types of people were delusional and aggravating beyond belief to be around, Chloe apparently had inserted herself right into brunette's life and latched on.

"We're just really glad that you're back." Chloe added softly. Jaiden felt her cheeks redden and nodded in acknowledgment before turning her attention back to her plate. Uncomfortable with complete silence, Beca decided to speak up.

"I'm sorry I never told you about my anxiety." Chloe's eyes widened in surprise at the statement; a bit shocked at the fact she had brought it up at all. Not to mention the fact that she had done it in front of Jaiden. "And no, I don't have medication for it anymore. That's kind of why I smoke." She admitted.

"Beca," Jaiden frowned. "That's actually terrible. Obviously it doesn't help that much, considering the way you sounded on the phone last night."

"She's right, babe. Maybe you should try going back on it?" Chloe suggested. She had been even more caught off guard when Jaiden had piped up.

"Wow, didn't realize this was a tag team. I shouldn't have even said anything." Beca huffed. She glared at the two of them irritably and resumed stabbing at her food.

"Look; I've been a really shitty sister for the last few years, and I'd be even shittier if I didn't make you take care of yourself. You looked really rough today and I'm sure Chloe hates seeing you like this just as much as I do. What are you on? Zoloft, Xanax, what?" Jaiden deadpanned. Chloe blinked a few times, obviously taken aback, and waited for her girlfriend's reply a little nervously. "Beca, the hospital made me do therapy for a long time after what happened. I know how this works. I've been there." The younger of the three added. Beca glanced up from her food and put her fork down, realizing the weight of her admission. Jaiden didn't share things very much and Beca knew she would feel bad if she shut down on the younger girl after she had been honest with her.

"Zoloft…" She mumbled in response. "Two tablets a day."

"Will you start taking it again? Please? And lay off the pot." Jaiden asked seriously. Her sister hesitated for only a few seconds before nodding in agreement. Chloe was staring at the 18 year old appreciatively and Jaiden made eye contact with her for one brief second. The redhead mouthed the words "thank you" before yawning tiredly. A few moments later, Beca did the same and Jaiden looked between the two of them in subtle amusement.

"Well, on that note, I think we could all use a good night's sleep." Chloe stood up from the table with her dishes and stepped into the kitchen. Jaiden got up as well and grabbed Beca's plate along with her own, using the opportunity to follow the redhead into a more private area.

"Thank you so much for taking care of that." Chloe turned around from the counter as Jaiden walked into the room. The 18 year old shrugged before scraping the remnants of food off of the dishes she was carrying and sliding them into the sink with a hopeful smile. Chloe rolled her eyes, but started washing them as well. Jaiden hopped up onto the counter beside her, ready with a dish towel.

"It's no problem. Listen, Chloe, I know I need to step up my game. With everyone." Jaiden toyed with the fabric in her hands as she spoke. "But I swear, I'm going to work on it. I really, really love Stacie. I mean I'm in love with her. And I just…I'm not great with expressing affection or emotions, but I'm trying. I'm trying with all of you, but I need some time to get comfortable."

"I understand. And I'm completely here for you if you're ever feeling overwhelmed or need some help with anything." Chloe replied. She handed Jaiden a few plates and watched as she dried them off silently. She spun around on the counter and stacked them in the cabinet before hopping down and yawning.

"Go to bed." Chloe prompted. The younger girl nodded in agreement and turned to go. "Jaiden," She stopped her just before she left. "Come here." Chloe held her arms out and Jaiden forced herself to hug her tightly. She had promised herself while she was lying on the couch with Beca that she was going to be more open with both of them, and this was obviously a test to her own word.

"I'm really happy you're back." Chloe murmured. She squeezed her once and then released the younger girl with a warm smile. Jaiden rubbed the back of her neck and nodded once before hurrying out of the kitchen. Beca still sat at the table, still looking a little dazed, and Jaiden sighed before walking over to her.

"Wanna have a sleepover?" She asked awkwardly. Her older sister looked up at her in surprise, and maybe a bit of confusion. "You know, that way you're not wondering if I'm going to sneak away again." Jaiden elaborated with a small smirk. Catching on to the fact that Jaiden was trying to help, Beca stood up and followed her into her bedroom.

"We're not going to talk about our feelings," Jaiden announced as she turned the lights off. Beca crawled into the queen sized bed and slid under the blankets, only to be joined by her sister a few seconds later. "Just sleeping. Goodnight." She finished.

"Goodnight. I love you." Beca replied quietly. The older girl rolled over and curled up against Jaiden's side before drifting off into, finally, a peaceful sleep.

_**Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!s**_


	35. Chapter 35

Beca woke up slowly, taking a few seconds to realize where she was, before rolling over and coming face to face with her sleeping sister. Jaiden was still completely out and her chest rose and fell steadily with every breath she took. Beca studied her face carefully for a few seconds; taking in her features while she had the chance to. The younger girl wore a slightly troubled expression, even in her sleep, and Beca carefully scooted closer to her. Jaiden was warm and Beca sighed contently as she nestled against the younger girl. The 18 year old stirred slightly at the contact and Beca froze; afraid that she had woken her up. To her relief, Jaiden fell still again with a tired sigh and her head against Beca's shoulder.

"I know you're probably sleeping," Beca paused, just to make sure that she was. "-but I just wanted to apologize for yesterday and just…I don't know, a lot of stuff. I was really out of it and I wasn't being a good older sister, _again-"_

"Beca, stop." Jaiden groaned, lifting her head off of the older girl's shoulder and blinking at her tiredly. "Just take your medicine and take care of yourself and you won't have to apologize." She mumbled before going back to resting on her shoulder. Beca felt her stomach twist with embarrassment at the fact she had been heard, but nodded her head in agreement.

"So, we're okay?" She asked tentatively. Jaiden sighed in annoyance and nodded.

"Yes, we're fine. But can we please sleep a little longer?" Her voice was still groggy and she sounded desperate as she tugged the comforter up around them tighter. She tossed an arm across the older girl in an attempt to keep the comfortable position she was in and waited for Beca's reply.

"Yeah, of course. Sorry."

"Stop apologizing." Jaiden muttered. With that, they fell silent again and Beca allowed herself to drift back off. The two girls slept peacefully for nearly two more hours before the smell of breakfast cooking pulled them from their slumber and Jaiden was the first to rise. She unwrapped herself from around Beca and walked sleepily out to the kitchen, where Chloe was cooking at the stove. Beca followed close behind; rubbing her eyes sleepily and settling at the counter with a long yawn.

"I feel like we should pay you for this." Jaiden observed as Chloe dumped a skillet full of eggs onto two separate plates. The redhead smiled at her as she walked to the fridge and got out a bottle of creamer before fixing her a cup of coffee.

"Trust me, I get enough payment." She replied with a wink at Beca. Jaiden rolled her eyes and then shook her head as she kissed her sister on the cheek.

"Gross." The youngest girl noted.

"So what are our plans for the semi-finals?" Chloe changed the subject, not wanting to embarrass her girlfriend, and handed her a mug of coffee.

"You guys should just let Stacie strip. We'd win hands down. Best option." Jaiden replied with a confident nod at the older two and they both smirked. Truthfully, Chloe had been immensely surprised at how attached the two had gotten to each other. She and Beca hadn't really expected the relationship to last very long. In fact, the two had actually been worried about the possibility of the older girl's promiscuity hurting Jaiden. It had been more than a shock when Stacie and Jaiden had ended up clicking together immensely well.

"The elderly would really love that," Beca nodded in agreement and her girlfriend rolled her eyes.

"Not to change the subject, but I want to do something nice for her. Actually, I am trying to change the subject because I have literally no ideas," Jaiden admitted. "But anyways, I've taken her out on dates and everything but I want to do something better than that."

"How sappy are you willing to get?" Chloe's voice took on a sudden tone of seriousness and she set her coffee mug down.

"I don't know." Jaiden shrugged. She and Beca exchanged glances, with the subject of romance being far out of their individual fortes.

"Okay, so here's what I'm thinking; I'll make Beca take me out to dinner tomorrow night, since she's usually too lazy to do that without me asking, so you'll have the whole apartment to yourself. You can cook better than Beca, yes?" Chloe asked. The 18 year old nodded affirmatively and waited for her to go on. "So make her dinner and like, light candles everywhere, but please don't set anything on fire. Just do the whole 'night in' thing and wear a cute dress and then, you know, whatever you guys do after dinner." She winked. Jaiden blushed slightly at the insinuation, but had to admit that it was a good plan.

"And now I get a night on the town with my main bitch." Beca smiled at the older girl with a mouthful of eggs.

"If either one of you get sloppy drunk, I will start dragging you to AA meetings." Jaiden warned.

"Oh no, we will not be drinking. We're going somewhere classy. And if Beca has more than one glass of wine, she starts slurring her words because her body is half the size of most."

"Hey," Beca objected. "I do not slur. I speak in cursive."

"Well, while you two banter that out, I'm going to go grab a shower." Jaiden excused herself before hopping down from her seat and leaving the couple to bicker about Beca's alcohol tolerance.

* * *

"Where've you been?" Jaiden looked up the inquiry as she just barely made it into her seat before the psych lecture started. The 18 year old's hair was still damp from her shower and she was dressed haphazardly in a pair of sweatpants and a slightly wrinkled t-shirt.

"Uh, out of town. Hey, do you have the notes from Monday?" Jaiden's voice was laced with stress as she rooted through her bag for her notebook. Successfully finding it at the bottom of the backpack, she slapped it down on the desk space in front of her and flipped to the first blank page.

"Yeah," The blonde handed her a few full pages of notes and Jaiden took pictures of them on her phone before giving them back.

"Thanks." She mumbled. With that, she began jotting down shorthand versions of what the older professor in the front of the room was droning on about, fully unaware that the girl next to her was still staring at her. After a few seconds, Amber leaned in and rested her chin on her hand.

"Are you really that unaware?" She asked. Jaiden looked up from her notes and frowned in confusion.

"What?"

"I've been flirting with you since we met." Jaiden's eyes widened in realization at the admission and she began fumbling for a response.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry-"

"Let me take you on a date?" The blonde interrupted. She arched an eyebrow at the obviously flustered freshman and waited for an answer.

"Look, Amber, I have a girlfriend." Jaiden declined politely.

"I know. The slutty one that was all over everyone at that party. Trust me, you can do better than that."

"Excuse me?" The 18 year old put her pen down and gave her full attention to the girl beside her. Amber leaned back in her chair and shrugged innocently.

"I'm just saying. I mean, Stacie Conrad is basically the campus slut. I've met strippers with more morals than her. It's only a matter of time before she cheats or invites some guy in for a threesome. She's not even exclusively gay-"

"If you say one more thing, I'm going to punch you in the face." Jaiden cut her off and turned in her chair. Amber was taken aback for a moment, not sure whether the 18 year old was joking or not.

"Just give me one night, and I promise you'll change your mind. Have some standards, Jaiden." Amber hardly had time to react before Jaiden had stood up and shoved her notebook into a backpack. The freshman stalked out of the lecture hall stiffly, with her bag slung angrily over her shoulder. She ignored the judgmental stares from the other students and bit her lip until she was out of the building and her vision wasn't quite so red.

"Jaiden? Where are you going?" Amber's voice came from behind her and Jaiden whirled around instinctively. The blonde was walking towards her with a worried expression and she clenched her fists at her side. "I'm just trying to keep you from getting screwed over by a slut." That was it. Jaiden closed the distance between herself and the other girl and hit her across the face. She pulled her fist back again and threw another punch seconds after; this time sending the blonde sprawling to the pavement. Jaiden's pulse raced as she took a few steps back from the other girl. Her flight response kicked in at last, and she rushed away from Amber in a panic. Jaiden broke into a full sprint as she reached the end of the sidewalk and her shoes slammed against the cement loudly as she ran. Before she knew it, she had found herself in the upperclassmen dorms, outside of Stacie's room. Using her non-throbbing hand, Jaiden knocked loudly and waited anxiously. She heard the doorknob turn and suddenly found herself face to face with a very surprised Stacie.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have a lecture?" The brunette asked. She moved aside so that Jaiden could come in and noticed that the younger girl was cradling her hand.

"I punched the girl who sits beside me." Jaiden blurted out. Her girlfriend's jaw dropped slightly in shock and she reached for her injured hand. Jaiden winced as she inspected it and followed Stacie into the small kitchen area.

"What happened?" Stacie prompted. She patted an open spot on the counter and Jaiden jumped up onto it obediently.

"I guess…I guess this girl had like, a thing for me and she was trying to get me to go on a date. And she said some shit about you and it escalated and I snapped." Jaiden rambled. Stacie pulled an icepack out of the freezer section on her fridge and gently placed it on her bruising knuckles. She grimaced in pain and Stacie met her gaze apologetically as she continued to ice the injury.

"It's okay. Your sister punched someone her senior year too. It's kind of hot that you totally did that in my honor." Stacie assured her. Jaiden couldn't fight a small smirk, and she leaned forward and kissed her lightly.

"Anything for you," Jaiden paused for a moment as Stacie licked her bottom lip and distracted her for a bit. "I was actually going to ask you this later, but I have the apartment to myself tomorrow night and I want you to come over. And wear something nice."

"Oh? Are we having a night in?" Stacie questioned.

"Yeah. I just wanted to do something nice for you, after, you know, everything. Do you drink white or red wine?" The older girl rolled her eyes and shook her head at Jaiden as she pulled the cold compress back and gently pressed on her swollen hand. "Ow," The 18 year old yelped.

"Jaiden, you don't need to make anything up to me." She reminded her softly. Stacie lifted the younger girl's hand up to her mouth and kissed it. The small moment was interrupted by Jaiden's phone buzzing in her pocket and she smiled at Stacie apologetically. The expression quickly disappeared as she saw that it was her mother and she hesitated for a second before answering.

"Hello? Mom? Is everything okay?" Jaiden's eyes flickered with worry as she listened to her hysterical mother on the other end of the line. "Slow down, please? Are you saying he left? Did he touch you?" Stacie moved out of the younger girl's way as she hopped down off of the counter and began to pace back and forth in the main area of the dorm. Jaiden brushed her hair back out of her face and Stacie followed her tentatively. She placed a hand on the small of the moving brunette's back, effectively stopping her from moving, and attempted to figure out what was going on from listening to Jaiden's half of the conversation.

"If he comes back, keep the door locked and call the cops. I told you this would happen….Mom, _stop_; he's a fucking drunk and he wasn't getting better. Call me if anything happens, okay?" Jaiden stalled for a moment before muttering a small "I love you too" and hanging up.

"What happened?" Stacie rubbed her hand up and down her girlfriend's back and tried desperately to read her expression.

"I guess she finally called him out for being an alcoholic and he blew up. She says he didn't touch her, but I fucking doubt it. At least he's out of the house now." Jaiden explained. Her hands clenched instinctively, but her right one flared up at the movement and she gasped in pain.

"What can I do?" Stacie asked. Jaiden shook her head and sighed deeply before leaning against her.

"Nothing. I just hope she isn't dumb enough to take him back if he tries again." She murmured against Stacie's shoulder. The older girl grimaced at the fact that she couldn't do anything and then wrapped her arms around her tightly.

* * *

Ted blinked through bleary vision at the road signs that flew past him. He had been driving on pure rage since he had gotten into his truck and peeled out of his bitch of an ex-wife's driveway. She couldn't handle raising two daughters, and there she was trying to tell him how he should live _his _life. Ridiculous.

"Guess I have to teach them another lesson." The man muttered to himself. His truck swerved to the side slightly as he reached for the bottle under the seat. Ted took a swig of amber colored alcohol and gradually moved his vehicle back to the center of his lane. The bruise on his face was still clearly visible and each time he caught sight of it in a mirror, he was reminded just how disrespectful the Mitchell girls were. He had gone to that God-awful chorus program and had arrived with the full intention of being civil before Beca had assaulted him. And the other little bitch hadn't even given them a passing glance. He would teach them a lesson alright. It had been far too long since he had.

_**Dun dun dunnn. Who's Ted going after? Will it be Beca or Jaiden? Or will he decide to turn around? Maybe someone else will be involved. Let me know what you'd like to see and what you think so far! Don't forget to review.**_


	36. Chapter 36

Jaiden took the rest of her day to pick up a few things from in town for the following evening. Her right hand continued to ache, but she continued to flex it upon Stacie's instructions in order to keep it from stiffening up. Around 5 pm, she rolled back into the apartment complex parking lot with two bags of groceries, a new dress, and about seven new candles.

"Hey," Chloe looked up as Jaiden stepped into the apartment and barely managed to set her bags on the counter without dropping anything. The frazzled 18 year old looked up and acknowledged her with a tired smile.

"Hi. Is Beca at class?" Jaiden asked. She began to pull an assortment of foods out of her grocery bags and put them in the fridge.

"Yeah. She won't be done until like 7. Are you staying in tonight?" Chloe's voice came across a bit hopeful and Jaiden paused for a second in putting away her ingredients for the dinner she was planning.

"I wasn't planning on anything. Why?"

"I don't know. I just thought it would be nice to spend some time together. I wanted to ask how you were doing?" Chloe let her voice trail off and Jaiden could hear the subtle fear that she had pushed her boundaries.

"I'm okay." The 18 year old answered quietly. She went back to the counter and started unwrapping the candles she had bought. Jaiden set them in a neat row and her sister's girlfriend came to sit beside her tentatively.

"I don't want to force you to talk, alright? But, I want you to know that I'm here for you, and I know things have had to be hard for you after Ted showed up." Chloe said quietly. Jaiden sighed before she quit trying to distract herself and finally paid attention to the redhead.

"Well, yeah. But I'm okay. Actually, I punched a girl today." Jaiden changed the subject abruptly and grinned nervously at Chloe's shocked reaction.

"_What_? Why?"

"She started hitting on me and saying shit about Stacie." Jaiden explained defensively. When Chloe didn't relax, she shot her a skeptical look. "You wouldn't punch someone for talking crap on Beca?"

"Touché." Chloe admitted. "But you're really okay? There's nothing you want to talk about?"

"No, not really. I swear I'm not trying to, like, avoid things either. I'm just…I'm fine, you know?" Jaiden elaborated awkwardly. Chloe nodded in understanding and squeezed the younger girl's arm affectionately.

"I was just going to order takeout tonight. Sound good?" She asked.

"Yeah. Look, I have a paper to work on, so can you come get me when it's ready?" The younger girl hopped down off of her stool and grabbed her dress off of the one next to her. Chloe nodded and examined the garment as she walked towards her room.

"That dress is hot," She announced. Jaiden turned around to shoot her a quick smile before stepping into her room and shutting her door behind her. The brunette sat down at her desk and opened her laptop, preparing for what she knew would be a long night.

* * *

Jaiden spent the majority of the next day finishing her report and then finally exiting her bedroom in a disheveled, slightly stressed appearance. Beca and Chloe, who were lounging on the couch, looked up from their respective laptops and took in the younger girl in subtle amusement.

"Do you love college yet?" Beca asked. Jaiden rolled her eyes before dragging herself into the kitchen and returning minutes later with a large bowl of cereal.

"I hate essays." Jaiden grumbled irritably. She plopped down in between the couple and shoved a spoonful of cereal in her mouth.

"You'll get used to spitting out paragraphs of bullshit in a few months." Beca assured her. Jaiden grunted in response and continued to devour her late breakfast/early lunch. It was 1:00 in the afternoon and she was running on three mugs of coffee, which had left her jumpy and slightly irate.

"So, Beca and I are going to head out at 6 and we'll make sure to stay out until at least 11. This classy piece of work is taking me to dinner and a movie." Chloe smiled with a playful wink at Jaiden. The tiny brunette winked back before continuing to mess with the audio streaming on her laptop.

"I should start getting ready." Jaiden groaned. However, instead of getting up, she continued to sit in between them and shovel cereal into her mouth. Despite her less than adorable appearance, Beca couldn't help but stare at Jaiden. The 18 year old seemed really comfortable, or at least enough to willingly put herself near them. "Do you think this idea is too cheesy? Or stupid? Am I going to look dumb?"

"Dude, Stacie's probably never had anyone do something nice like this for her. She's going to love it." Beca assured her. Jaiden breathed out nervously before standing up with her bowl and spoon ad starting towards the kitchen.

"I hope so." Jaiden muttered. The freshman put her dishes in the sink before retreating to the bathroom and turning on the shower. She took nearly half an hour to calm herself down and work out what times she needed to start on certain foods. Her bruised hand flared up when she attempted to rinse her hair, which reminded her that she had in fact mildly assaulted someone the day before. She began to flare up with guilt over what had happened and it took a few minutes before she could convince herself that Amber had been asking for it and she didn't need to apologize.

Guilt was always something that Jaiden had struggled with. The brunette had a knack for blaming herself for nearly every situation that she got caught in. Her therapist had insisted that her hostility for Beca had been a result of her projecting her own guilt onto the older girl, which had apparently set the scene for how she managed it in all other aspects of her life.

Pushing Amber to the back of her mind, Jaiden stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. The 18 year old wrung out her hair and dried herself off before wrapping the towel around herself. She stepped out of the bathroom and waved shyly at Chloe when she realized that the redhead was looking at her. Jaiden scampered into her room and let the fabric drop to the carpet before starting the process of getting ready.

* * *

Close to five hours later, Jaiden was moving frantically around the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the two plates she had spent a good part of her afternoon preparing. She had picked out fresh salmon at the grocery store the day before and followed an online recipe she had found nearly a year ago; checking the fish every few minutes in order to make sure that it was cooking right. The entire kitchen was a mess, considering all the work that went into smashed red potatoes, and she hurried to shove all of the dishes she had used into the sink. After a quick wipe down of the counters, Jaiden grabbed a lighter out of one of the drawers and lit the three candles sitting at the kitchen table. Just as she finished pouring two glasses of wine, there was a knock at the door.

Jaiden hurried towards the door, pausing one second to check her appearance in the mirror on the wall, before turning the handle and opening it. Her jaw practically dropped when she saw Stacie standing in the hallway expectantly. She could feel the taller girl's eyes running up and down her body and her face reddened slightly.

"You look beautiful," Stacie's voice drew her out of her sudden embarrassment and the compliment was soon followed by a passionate kiss. Jaiden pulled away after a few seconds, though she did so reluctantly, and she pulled Stacie through the door before shutting it behind her. "Oh my God," Stacie murmured as she eyed the candle-lit dinner waiting for her in the kitchen area of the apartment.

"I hope you like salmon," Jaiden chuckled anxiously. She hurried forward, her heels clicking on the wooden floor, and she pulled the older girl's chair out for her.

"I love it. And I love you." Stacie replied sincerely. She smiled at the brunette that sat down across from her and took a few seconds to admire her features in the soft glow of the candles between them. She hadn't expected this at all when Jaiden had told her that they were having a night in. The 18 year old looked gorgeous and the amount of effort she had put into the night was obvious, something that Stacie had not anticipated, nor was used to.

"I love you back." Jaiden smiled. With that, the two girls clinked their wine glasses together and took a drink.

After 45 minutes, the two girls sat at the table with empty plates and a bottle and a half of wine down between them both. Jaiden built herself up for a few seconds before standing and extending her hand. "I have one more surprise," She informed Stacie. The older girl arched an eyebrow in surprise, but stood up and took her hand. She allowed herself to be led down the hallway and took the time to admire the younger girl's body in her dress. Her eyes were locked on the zipper that trailed down Jaiden's back when her girlfriend stopped for a second. The slightly shorter brunette opened the door that they had halted in front of and Stacie's breath caught in her throat as she took in the bedroom. Jaiden turned around to gauge her reaction and squeezed Stacie's hand lightly.

"Come here," Jaiden pulled her into the room and shut the door behind them. The smell of the four vanilla candles by the bed filled the space and they flickered orange light across the walls warmly. A subtle trail of rose petals, which Jaiden had picked up the night before led them to the bed and the two girls made their way there slowly. Jaiden stopped at the foot of the bed and looked up at her lover with a questioning gaze. Stacie broke out of her stupor and looked down at the other girl with a newfound adoration. She leaned down and pressed her lips to Jaiden's while simultaneously kicking off her heels. The shorter brunette followed her lead and stepped out of her own shoes, all the while synching her lips' with the movement of Stacie's. Jaiden pulled her over to the bed and gently pushed her girlfriend down onto the petal covered duvet. Stacie watched lustfully as Jaiden crawled over her and locked their lips together once again. She smiled into the kiss as she felt Stacie's hands pulling at her dress's zipper and she leaned up enough for her to remove the garment.

"My turn," Stacie pulled back from the kiss in order to flip them over and she slipped out of her own dress expertly. Jaiden sat up enough to cup Stacie's cheek in her hand and brushed their lips together hungrily. Stacie straddled her dominantly and began working her lips down the 18 year old's neck. Jaiden arched under her touch and she hooked her fingers through Stacie's hair. Taking the cue, Stacie slipped the other girl's back panties down and propped herself up enough to look down at her as she slowly pushed two fingers up into her. Jaiden gasped in response and dug her fingernails into the brunette's back. Stacie couldn't help but smirk at the reaction she elicited and went back to marking Jaiden's neck as she moved hand steadily. Jaiden's breathing rate began to spike as Stacie picked up the pace. The freshman buried her face into the crook of Stacie's neck and attempted to stifle a moan as she came undone on her girlfriend's hand. Despite the fact that her legs were still shaking, Jaiden reversed their positions a few seconds later.

"You're so beautiful," Jaiden panted out. She stared down into Stacie's eyes in the soft light of the candles and she practically had to force herself to break her gaze away after a few seconds. The dark haired teenager moved down on the bed and pressed her lips to Stacie's inner thigh, relishing in the fact that she could feel her shudder at the contact. Jaiden paused for just a second in order to pull off her underwear before giving Stacie exactly what she wanted. The taller brunette cried out at the contact and her hands dug into the comforter below her tightly. Jaiden hooked her arms around Stacie's legs and held them as still as she could. The younger girl hesitated before biting down on her clit lightly. Stacie yelped in response and bit her bottom lip in an attempt to keep quiet. Less than two minutes later, Stacie couldn't manage it any longer and she whimpered loudly as a wave of pleasure swept through her body. The girl between her legs lifted her head and crawled back up in order to kiss her softly.

"God, I love you." Jaiden whispered. She wrapped her arms around the other girl's waist and pulled her up against her tightly. Stacie's breathing gradually slowed and she snuggled up against her lover, feeling the warmth radiating off of the other girl's skin. She moved her hand down to Jaiden's and ran her thumb across the back of it lightly.

"I love you too."

* * *

Ted took a drink from the flask in his hand and continued staring at the restaurant entrance in front of his truck. He had been sitting outside the building for almost an hour, ever since he had caught sight of a slightly familiar head of red hair and spotted Beca walking next to the ginger. The two girls had been exiting a movie theater and he had nearly jumped out of the truck when he saw that they were holding hands. How his bitch of an ex-wife could raise two dykes, he would never understand. Surprisingly enough though, the alcoholic managed to exhibited a bit of self-control by waiting for them to get into their car and then following them. They had stopped at a little Italian place down the street and he had decided to wait and find out where they were living. He would wait, and then he would get the bitch that had started this whole thing. If Beca thought she could protect her from him, she was a damn fool.

Ted perked up as the door to the restaurant opened and the women he was following walked out. The drunk slouched down in his seat to avoid being noticed and then revved his engine to life as they got into their vehicle. Ted kept his truck a reasonable distance back as he pulled out of the lot after them. The man was formulating his course of action over and over again in his head as he matched his step-daughter's course turn for turn. The town he had been lurking around for the past day seemed vacant enough for him to do what he needed to without being seen, which would keep him out of trouble with that damned probation officer.

20 minutes later, Ted pulled into the first available spot he could find outside the apartment complex that he had watched Beca and the other girl go into. Once again, he was forced to restrain himself from doing something rash as they walked into the building together. Ted took another long drink from his flask before leaning back in his seat and preparing to sleep for the night. However, another flurry of movement caught his eye and he straightened up immediately. Even through his blurred vision, he could recognize Jaiden across the street. The 18 year old was dressed in an outfit that made her look like a whore, at least in Ted's opinion, and his vision went red as he saw her similarly dressed companion. He took one more drink, feeling the sudden burst of adrenaline mixing with the alcohol in his bloodstream and then turned towards the passenger's seat. The man hesitated for a second before grabbing the pistol that rested there and getting out of the truck.

_**The possibilities are endless haha. Don't forget to review! **_


	37. Chapter 37

"Look how cute they are," Chloe grinned. She and Beca had bumped into Jaiden and Stacie in the lobby of the apartment complex and the couple had decided to lurk for a bit. Though Beca would never admit it, she absolutely loved seeing Jaiden in a relationship. That was about as vulnerable as Jaiden would allow herself to be with anyone, and her sister loved seeing that side of her. She loved the unaltered parts of Jaiden that still remained, because those were the ones she remembered.

"I know. I could see them getting married. I think this whole relationship thing has been good for Stacie too. It's probably been forever since someone's treated her right." Beca pointed out. Chloe nodded in completely agreement and couldn't help but smile as Jaiden stood on the balls of her feet and kissed Stacie goodbye. Her smile disappeared as she saw the two girls rip apart and she watched in confusion as Jaiden pushed Stacie behind her suddenly. Beca released her hold on Chloe's hand and rushed towards the door, her stomach tightening with unease. The brunette burst outside, leaving her confused girlfriend standing in the lobby, and she shivered as the chilly night air sent goosebumps up her arms.

"-go into the building." Beca caught the tail end of Jaiden's quiet instruction just as she made it through the door. The brunette squinted into the darkness and then froze when she saw the figure standing approximately 10 feet from her sister and Stacie. It was Ted. And he was holding a gun in his outstretched hand.

"No," Stacie held her ground and clung onto Jaiden's hand. She couldn't leave the younger girl out here with the man who had approached them out of nowhere.

"Stacie, please." Jaiden pleaded desperately. She pushed the older girl back with her free hand, trying to get her away from the threat in front of them. When she had heard Ted's voice from out of the darkness, her heart had stopped, but not out of fear for herself. Her first thought was Stacie, and the fact that he could hurt her. It was the same response she had had when Ted had come home that one night to find her with Cici.

"I'm going to give your dyke girlfriend five seconds more to get the fuck out of here, or I'm going to blow her brains out." The man grunted coldly. Jaiden's panic levels spiked again and she wrenched her hand out of Stacie's grip harshly.

"I'll go wherever you want, just please don't touch her." Jaiden begged. She stepped forward, unaware that Beca was watching from just outside the door, and cautiously closed the distance between herself and the man she had spent years fearing.

"Jaiden, no." Beca finally unfroze herself and pushed past Stacie, who was watching in mute terror as her girlfriend made her way towards the gun wielding man. Ted's gaze shifted from his target to the familiar voice and he smirked in realization.

"Beca, yes." He laughed. The tiny brunette forced herself to walk straight towards the gun pointed at Jaiden and stepped in front of the younger girl. Her pulse was pounding in her ears and she had no real plan, other than to step up and put herself between the two of them for once. He wasn't going to hurt her. Not this time.

"Step out of the way, you piece of shit sinner. You don't have to pay for your abominations. Not tonight, anyway." He gestured with the handgun and waited for Beca to follow his instructions. The drunken man swayed on his feet and Beca forced her own to stay planted on the pavement.

"Get the fuck out of here before we call the cops. If you do this, you're going right back to prison." Beca warned him. Her voice shook and she locked her eyes on the gun in her face.

"You really don't want to threaten me right now, you dumb bitch." He snarled. Ted's grip tightened on the gun and he glared at the girl in front of him menacingly. In a split second decision, Beca lurched forward and grabbed onto the black piece of metal with all of her strength. Ted yelled in surprise and the two began a lethal battle of tug-o-war, each of them with death grips on the gun. Beca clenched her eyes shut impulsively as the weapon fired and her blood ran cold at the scream behind her. However, the brunette couldn't afford to release her grip, and she instead aimed a random kick towards what she hoped were Ted's legs. To her relief, her foot connected with the drunken man's shin and he released his grip on the gun. Unfortunately for Beca, the weapon went skidding across the pavement, and Ted's drunken state of mind caused him to turn entirely on her. She hardly had time to brace herself before she was sent sprawling to the pavement by the enraged man. Her head hit the concrete with a sickening thud and her ears rang loudly, sending her into a wave of near unconsciousness.

* * *

Chloe's heart dropped as she heard the distinct sound of a gunshot from outside the doors and a scream of shocked pain that could only be Jaiden's. The redhead booked it out of lobby and lurched to a stop as she took in the scene before her. Stacie, who knelt on the pavement beside a very crumpled up and blood covered Jaiden, noticed her presence and stared at the frozen girl desperately.

"Chloe, get help!" The brunette screamed. Chloe was about to whirl around and run back into the apartment complex when she finally realized where Beca was. The small girl had cried out from her place on the concrete, and Chloe's stomach twisted as she watched an intoxicated Ted aim a violent kick straight into her side.

"No," Chloe rushed towards the man and shoved him away from Beca instinctively. He stumbled back a few steps and she balled her hands into fists at her side, bracing herself. Ted turned his attention towards her and then looked to his left, searching for something. Chloe took the opportunity to hurry to Beca's side while he was distracted and she put a hand on the hurt girl's shoulder cautiously.

"You two, into the building," Ted grunted without warning. Chloe looked up to see the end of a gun barrel and her blood ran cold at the sight. He was looking between her and Stacie and the two older girls exchanged silent glances. Walking away from this seemed impossible, but neither of them doubted the severity of his intent.

"Stacie, we have to." Chloe whispered finally. She could feel the sting of tears in her eyes and she stifled a scared sob when she heard the click of a gun behind her. Stacie whimpered and looked down at the girl in her arms before forcing herself to let go and stand up. Her dress was stained with Jaiden's blood and she waited for Chloe, who was still on the ground.

"_Move_," Ted snarled at her. The redhead sobbed before standing up and making herself move back towards the building. Beca hadn't seemed to notice her appearance, nor her disappearance, and the small girl lay still on the pavement as she backed away slowly.

"Please don't hurt them," She begged. Ted ignored her request and trained the gun on her until she joined Stacie back in the lobby. The taller brunette was on the phone already, sobbing to a 911 operator and just barely managing to get the apartment building's address out.

* * *

"Get up. Get the fuck up," Ted ordered. He moved forward as the door across from him shut and pulled Beca to her feet. The tiny girl stumbled, but fought against his grip weakly as he pulled her towards his still running truck. The man shoved her into the narrow backseat section of the vehicle and then shut the door harshly. Beca cried out as it shut on her ankle and sent a shot of pain straight up her leg. Ted grumbled something unintelligible before pushing her foot inside and effectively closing the door. His vision swam from the whiskey he had built himself up with and he barely managed to stagger over to his second stepdaughter, who was attempting to pull herself towards the apartment building pitifully.

"Are you happy now, you piece of shit?" He asked tauntingly. The alcoholic leaned down and grabbed her by the hair, forcing her onto her feet. She clutched at her lower ribcage area, where the stray bullet had hit, and nearly fell as he drug her towards the truck.

"Please, stop." Jaiden begged. The man ignored her and instead forced her into the back of the truck on the other side. Setting his gun on the passenger's seat, he climbed in on the driver's side and peeled out haphazardly. Jaiden looked over at Beca, who was propped up against the door and fought back tears at the sight of the other girl.

"Beca?" She whispered. The smaller girl jolted at the sound of her name and she attempted to focus her gaze on her through the swelling that had already started.

"Come here," Beca said. Her voice was hoarse and barely audible, and Jaiden suppressed a scream of pain as she forced herself to scoot towards the older girl. She came to rest beside her, breathing heavily, and attempting to keep the bleeding under control.

"Where…where is his gun?" The older of the two asked.

"Passenger's seat," Jaiden murmured. Beca nodded slightly and then groaned in pain as she attempted to straighten up.

"I need you to grab it. I'll…I'll take care of the rest." Beca kept her voice low and she squeezed her sister's arm desperately. Jaiden glanced up towards Ted, who was focusing on the road and drinking from his flask at the same time. Despite the fiery pain at the slightest movement, Jaiden nodded and pushed away from her slowly. She clenched her jaw and peeked her head around the far side of the passenger's seat, eyeing the weapon. With one quick look up towards Ted, Jaiden reached a bloodstained arm around and slowly pulled it into the backseat. She hadn't realized that she had been holding her breath until she handed Beca the gun and released it. Blackness was beginning to cloud at the edges of her vision, and she attempted to focus on Beca in order to keep herself awake.

Beca gripped the gun in her hand, feeling its cold metal and willing it to rouse her from the daze she had felt since she had hit her head. She could feel that the truck was still speeding along and chose to lock her gaze on the man in the front seat. Beca's heart slammed in her chest as she stared at the man who, once again, had endangered her sister's life. Her hand clenched tighter on the weapon she held and her pulse raced as she felt the truck's brakes engage. They slowed to a stop, and the second that the truck fell still, Beca raised the gun and fired.

* * *

"Ms. Conrad? Ms. Beale? Can I get you a cup of coffee?" Both Stacie and Chloe looked up towards the doorway to the apartment as the officer in charge of the case walked back in. Both of their eyes were red from crying and they were absolutely exhausted from worry.

"Is there any news?" Stacie asked hopefully. She had managed to keep a positive outlook longer than Chloe had. The redhead hadn't been able to shake the feeling of dread since the police had gotten there, and every time one of them approached her, she braced herself.

"Actually, yes. The truck was located, and both of the Mitchells are on their way to the hospital. And our suspect was pronounced dead on arrival." He explained gently. Chloe's eyes widened at the news and she released a long breath of relief. She felt Stacie hug her from the side and got to her feet automatically, still trying to process the information. She had been preparing herself to hear that Beca was dead.

"Come on, we have to get to the hospital." Stacie tugged her stunned counterpart along and the two girls followed their officer out into the parking lot. They crawled into the back of his cruiser and fell into silence as the man turned on his sirens and sped off. Generally, he wouldn't have used such extreme measures for a hospital run, but he had picked up on the urgent need to get the two girls in the back reunited with the involved party as fast as he could.

15 minutes of fast driving later, the cruiser pulled into the ER lot and both Stacie and Chloe made a run for the doors. An officer was already standing inside, waiting for them, and Chloe once again found herself expecting bad news. Bile rose in her throat at the idea of losing either Jaiden or Beca, and she waited fearfully for him to speak.

"The younger Ms. Mitchell has been taken into emergency surgery to repair her bullet wound, but she is expected to pull through. The older Ms. Mitchell is currently in a CT, but will be out shortly in order to have her other injuries treated. A doctor will update you as soon as there's news, but for now you can both take a seat in the waiting room." The policeman gestured towards a few available chairs and then nodded at them respectfully. Chloe found herself shocked for the second time and she allowed Stacie to lead her over to the waiting area, trying to process the fact that Beca was still here. And now the only obstacle between her and her girlfriend was the waiting.

_**I wrote this when I was super hungover. Let me know what you think, okay? Also super open for suggestions for the rest of the story. **_


	38. Chapter 38

Stacie stared at the unconscious girl across from her, holding her hand and rubbing her thumb across the back of it lightly. She had been by Jaiden's side from the moment the younger girl had gotten out of surgery, waiting anxiously for her to wake up. Chloe had already requested that the two sisters be put into joint rooms, but the hospital staff had insisted that Jaiden be taken to the ICU after her operation in order to follow protocol. So Beca and Chloe remained in one of the rooms of the ER, with the smaller of the two sleeping under the influence of her painkillers.

"Stacie?" The exhausted woman jumped at the sound of her name and turned around to find a familiar man standing in the doorway. Dr. Mitchell, who wore a worried and slightly tentative expression, stepped into the room and eyed her with a hint of confusion.

"Dr. Mitchell, hey. I was…I was just waiting with her until she wakes up." She replied. Jaiden's father nodded and walked closer to the bed, staring at the sleeping girl in it sadly.

"Are you two close friends?" He asked. Stacie blushed and shook her head slightly.

"I'm actually her girlfriend. We've been dating for a little over a month now." She informed him. This time, it was Dr. Mitchell's turn to blush and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Sorry. I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to her." He admitted. Stacie nodded in understanding and then jumped when she felt a bit of pressure on her hand. She turned her attention back to Jaiden, who's eyelids were fluttering slightly. The 18 year old let out a tiny groan and slowly came to; taking in her surroundings slowly through her blurry vision. Stacie waited silently, a bit afraid to say anything, until the younger girl's eyes came to fix on her.

"Hey," Jaiden croaked finally. A relieved, choked up laugh escaped Stacie's lips and the older brunette's eyes welled up with tears. She kissed the back of Jaiden's hand and squeezed it tightly before Dr. Mitchell cleared his throat. Unaware of his presence until now, Jaiden turned her attention towards him and tensed visibly.

"Why are you here? Why would they call you?" Jaiden's eyes widened and she shifted in bed, which resulted in a wince of pain. "Where's Beca? Are you here because…oh my God, is she dead? _Where's Beca?_" The heart monitor began to beep loudly as the 18 year old's panic levels rose and Stacie stood up from her chair.

"Dr. Mitchell, please just go. I don't mean to be disrespectful but-"

"No, I understand. I'll…I'll get a nurse on my way out." The man backed out of the room as fast as he could, and glanced apologetically at his daughter before he left. Stacie sat back down in her chair and grabbed Jaiden's hand again in an attempt to calm her down.

"Jaiden, listen, Beca's alive. She's just on a different floor, but you need to calm down. You just had surgery," She coaxed. The girl listened in vain as Jaiden's breathing continued to speed up and she pulled at the oxygen tube under her nose. Just then, much to Stacie's relief, a nurse sped into the room and took in the situation quickly.

"I need to see my sister, she's hurt," Jaiden explained hysterically, struggling to get out of the bed. It became apparent that the anesthetic hadn't completely worn off, and the teenager managed to swing one foot over the side of the bed before her nurse took her by the shoulders. The middle aged woman managed to hit the nurse call button on the side of the bed and within seconds, two more scrub-clad women jogged into the room. Stacie stepped back and watched, helpless, as Jaiden was held down and a syringe was stuck into her arm. The struggling teenager fell still several moments later, and her eyelids drooped heavily.

"We requested this earlier, but can you please bring her sister down here? That's why she started freaking out. Her name is Beca Mitchell and she's down in the ER." Stacie asked desperately. The three nurses exchanged glances before the one who had entered first nodded.

"Of course, honey. We've all heard what happened and those damn doctors can afford not to follow protocol for once." She replied definitely.

"Thank you so much," Stacie ran her fingers back through her hair and watched the women leave. As soon as they had left, she sat back down beside Jaiden and kissed her cheek gently. "Can you still hear me, babe?" She asked. The younger girl's head twitched in a slight nod and she struggled to open her eyes the rest of the way.

"They're going to bring Beca up here so you can see her, okay? But you've got to be careful, because you basically have a big hole in your side right now." Stacie told her softly. Jaiden's eyes slowly shifted towards her, a bit glazed over, and she nodded slightly once again. With that, the two girls went silent and Stacie resumed holding her hand, watching Jaiden drift in and out of consciousness from the sedative. Nearly 20 minutes later, Chloe stepped through the door, followed soon after by a nurse pushing a very bruised Beca in a wheel chair. Stacie perked up and gently nudged Jaiden's shoulder, attempting to rouse her. The 18 year old jumped a bit in surprise and then took a few seconds to get her wits about her. When she finally realized who was in the room, Jaiden forced herself to sit up again despite the sharp pain in her side.

"Can you wheel me a little closer?" Beca asked, looking up towards her nurse. The woman nodded in response and pushed her over to the side of the bed, opposite from Stacie. Jaiden followed her path the whole way and took in her older sister's appearance slowly. Beca's face was bruised and swollen practically beyond recognition, and her bottom lip was split. From way she moved and sat, Jaiden could tell that her entire body was radiating with a slight agony and her heart panged at the sight.

"Beca," The younger Mitchell spoke up finally. Beca's nurse took the hint that she was no longer needed and exited the hospital room. Much to both Chloe and Stacie's concern, Beca unsteadily got to her feet and perched on the edge of the bed beside Jaiden. Her breathing grew a bit labored, but she waved a bruised and cut hand towards Chloe when the redhead went to intervene.

"Hey kid," Beca replied quietly. She brushed a stray strand of hair back out of Jaiden's face and stroked her cheek.

"You look really bad," Jaiden noted. Her words were a tad slurred and Beca looked towards Stacie with an air of new concern.

"She had a bit of a meltdown when she woke up, so they sedated her. She was scared that…that you were dead." Stacie explained. Beca's eyes widened slightly, at least as much as they could, and she turned back towards Jaiden.

"I'm right here, okay?" She assured her

"Okay," Jaiden mumbled. Beca debated her options for a few seconds before just barely managing to lift her legs into the bed and reclined stiffly beside her sister.

"Can we just sleep?" The 18 year old requested exhaustedly. Beca's jaw locked at the familiarity of the sentence and she finally felt the tears that had been threatening to appear well in her eyes. She clenched them shut, despite the pain, and sighed shakily as she felt Jaiden rest her head against her shoulder. A few seconds later, she felt a blanket cover the lower half of her body and allowed the fatigue that had been plaguing her to finally take over.

* * *

Mrs. Mitchell sat in the front seat of her car, staring at the large building in front of her. She had been sitting in the hospital parking lot since 5 am, which was over an hour ago, debating whether or not she wanted to walk through those doors. When she had gotten the call that her daughters were in the hospital, she had known immediately why. The guilt had hit her as she listened to the policeman explain their conditions and then the hospital address. But then he had informed her of her technically ex-husband's death.

The 57 year old loved her daughters. She did. But Mrs. Mitchell also loved Ted. Despite his faults, and his temper, and his alcoholism, she truly believed that he loved her back. He would always knock on her door, telling her how much he needed her after things would get bad and she would convince herself that she could leave him. Because the truth was; she couldn't. And he couldn't leave her either, because he would always come back.

So Mrs. Mitchell had sat in her car, wondering whether she should visit her eldest daughter in the ER, her youngest daughter in the ICU, or Ted's body down in the morgue. The policeman on the phone had carefully elected to tell her that Beca had shot him in self-defense and that there would be no charges pressed to the young woman. And while her mother knew she should feel relieved at the news; she simply didn't.

Beca had always been her problematic daughter. Jaiden and Ted had fought more, but Beca was always the one to call out the entire situation. She was always the one to glare and push buttons when she came to visit. So, somehow, she began to wonder whether or not Beca had instigated what had happened. The idea that she had shoved Ted to what he had attempted to do was not unreasonable, at least not to Mrs. Mitchell. And the more she thought about it, the more she finally began to want to change her name back. The name Mitchell was becoming toxic to her.

"I can't," The middle aged woman muttered to herself. She turned the keys in the ignition and backed out of her spot. With that, she sped out of the parking lot and away from her daughters.

* * *

Two long, pain medication filled days later, Stacie was wheeling Jaiden out of the hospital doors and into the parking lot, where Chloe sat in the front seat of her idling car, next to a very tired Beca and her crutches. The brunette had been discharged the day before with a bruised ankle, bad concussion, and two cracked ribs, all on top of the various contusions and minor cuts that marred her body.

"I've got it," Jaiden grunted defensively as Stacie attempted to help her to her feet. The teenager had gone into a "Miss Independent" mode the second she had woken up beside Beca to two nurses trying to dote on her and change the dressings on her gunshot. So Stacie watched in concern as Jaiden just barely managed to open her own door and get into the car without collapsing. Both Chloe and Beca stared at her from the front seat and Jaiden met her sister's gaze for a few seconds.

"You okay?" Beca asked quietly. Her sister nodded as Stacie joined her in the backseat on the other side and shut the door. With that, Chloe took the car out of park and pulled out of the lot and onto the street. Tentatively, Stacie scooted over to the middle seat and took her girlfriend's hand, unsure of how much attention Jaiden wanted from her. The 18 year old glanced at her for a few seconds before turning her attention out the window for the rest of the drive home.

Half an hour later, Chloe pulled into her usual spot and killed the engine. The redhead immediately got out of her seat and raced around to Beca's side in order to help her out. Beca gave her a small, grateful smile as she hooked her crutches under her arms and started towards the door. The smile faltered when they got to the entrance and noticed that the pavement was still stained a dark red on the spot that Jaiden had fallen to. With no time to think of a way to hide it, the couple watched nervously as Stacie and Jaiden caught up and crossed over the scarlet mark.

"You can go home if you want," Jaiden muttered as she and Stacie stepped into the lobby. The taller girl looked down at her in surprise and shot a glance towards the other two women.

"No, babe, I want to stay with you," She replied sincerely. Her girlfriend sighed and shook her head as she distanced herself.

"Stacie, I just…I want some space and I can tell you're really tired. Can you just, like, leave me alone for the rest of the day? Please?" Jaiden asked desperately. Trying to hide how much the request hurt, Stacie bit her bottom lip and shook her head up and down slightly.

"Yeah, sure," Stacie's voice came out a bit thick and she released her hold on Jaiden's hand regretfully. "I love you," The tall brunette muttered before leaving. Beca and Chloe watched her go in a bit of a shocked silence before looking at Jaiden apprehensively.

"Come on," Beca said at last. The injured girl hobbled over to the rarely used elevator and hit the "Up" button. Jaiden followed at last, just barely able to restrain herself as Chloe took her arm for support, and joined her sister as the doors opened.

"Can you believe Mom didn't even fucking show up?" Jaiden blurted out once they were all in the elevator. Beca turned towards her in surprise, not really expecting the younger girl to say anything. Chloe looked towards the floor uncomfortably and played with the ring on her finger as a weak distraction.

"I know. She sucks." Beca replied bluntly. Her younger sister nodded in agreement before falling silent again. Jaiden was the first one off of the elevator when it opened and fished her key out of the overnight bag that Stacie had brought to the hospital for her. As Beca and Chloe entered the apartment after her, Jaiden picked up her pace as much as she could and locked herself in her room before either of them could speak to her.

"I can't believe she just pushed Stacie away like that." Chloe shook her head sadly and helped Beca to sit down on the couch. The younger girl stiffly propped her injured foot up on the coffee table and put her hand on Chloe's thigh as the redhead sat next to her.

"I know. How long before she does the same thing to us?" Beca said sadly.

"I don't know," Chloe paused for a second before studying the girl beside her. She had been trying to pick up on Beca's true state of mine since she had been allowed into her exam room two nights before. The brunette had seemed mostly focused on her sister, which was understandable, but now that Jaiden was in a relatively stable condition, she knew Beca had to be thinking about other things. "Becs, how are you handing all of this? I mean, what even happened?" Beca tensed at the question and looked down at her hands. She had promised that she wouldn't shut Chloe out from the moment she felt herself wanting to. Which meant she had to talk to her about this.

"I…don't know how I'm handling this. I can't stop thinking about it and seeing Jaiden like that in the back of his truck. She was so scared and that's when I realized that, you know, she had been shot, because there was just so much blood. And so I made her get the gun, because I just needed her to be safe and I was scared I was going to pass out," Beca's voice broke off and she struggled to swallow the lump in her throat. After a few seconds, she got a hold on herself and continued. "So I waited until he stopped the truck and…and I shot him, Chloe. I killed him. And I don't regret it, you know? Because when it came down to it, it was Jaiden or him. He was going to kill her, and probably me too. So I killed him first." Beca fixed her eyes straight ahead and nodded at the end of her last sentence, affirming the words to herself. She had killed a man. She had taken his life away, but only to save her own and her sister's. She had kept her promise.

"I love you, Beca." Chloe whispered, leaning closer to her. She kissed Beca's temple lightly and then wrapped her arm around the smaller girl's shoulders. With that, Beca turned on the TV in front of them and they fell into a comfortable silence, relaxing against each other contently.

_**So…lots of emotions there. How will Beca and Jaiden handle what happened? Let me know what you think and feedback/suggestions are welcome as always!**_


	39. Chapter 39

Stacie woke up with the image of her girlfriend bleeding in her arms still burning in her mind, a screenshot of the nightmarish flashback that had plagued her dreams since she had fallen asleep. The young woman sucked in a shaky breath and threw her blankets off her herself. Her skin was covered with a cold sheen of sweat and Stacie pushed her damp hair back out of her face with both hands. She struggled to let a grip on herself and tried to force the events of the other night out of her mind desperately. But the memories of what had happened were still far too vivid and Stacie felt blindly around in her bed for her phone. When the increasingly hysteric girl finally found the small device, she hurried to unlock it and click on Jaiden's contact.

"_Stacie? What's going on? It's like three in the morning," _Jaiden's irritated voice filled the speaker and Stacie felt the knot in her stomach release a bit.

"Nothing, I'm sorry. I…I just needed to hear your voice." Stacie admitted.

"_Are you okay?"_

"I don't know, Jaiden. I can't stop thinking about what happened and I thought I was going to lose you." Stacie blurted out. She clenched her eyes shut, knowing that Jaiden was probably not going to want to talk about feelings in the early hours of the morning.

"_You know I'm right here though, alright? Do you want to come over?" _The offer caught Stacie off guard and she found herself nodding.

"Yeah. I'll be there in 10, okay?" She replied gratefully.

"_Okay. I'll unlock the door, so just come in when you get here. I love you._" Jaiden told her.

"I love you too." The older girl replied before getting out of bed. Stacie hurried to throw on a pair of sweats and grabbed her keys off of her dresser, rushing to get out of her dorm. She nearly ran down to her car in a pair of fleece moccasins, occasionally brushing past a few drunk students trying to get to their rooms.

What should have been a 10 minute drive was actually cut down to a clean seven minutes, due mostly to desperation and empty streets. Stacie shoved her keys into her pocket as she jogged into the building and up the familiar stairs to the Mitchell-Beale apartment. The dark haired girl quietly let herself through the door and tip-toed into the main space. She passed by Beca and Chloe's closed door and nearly had to restrain herself from bursting straight into Jaiden's room. Instead, the 20 year old knocked lightly and waited for the door to open. Within a few seconds, the knob turned and she squinted through the darkness to see Jaiden standing in front of her.

"Hey," The freshman spoke up softly. Stacie breathed out a held in sigh of relief and just barely caught herself from throwing her arms around the girl. Jaiden noticed her uncertainty and reached forward to take both of her hands. She pulled Stacie into her room slowly and shut the door behind them both.

"How're you feeling?" Stacie asked finally. She allowed Jaiden to lead her over to her messy bed and watched nervously as the injured girl slowly lowered herself back onto the pillows.

"Still a little buzzed from the painkillers I took before bed," Jaiden admitted. She patted the open space beside her and waited expectantly for Stacie to crawl in beside her. The taller girl took her cue and cautiously slid in next to her; afraid to jostle her too much. Jaiden once again picked up on Stacie's anxiety and rolled onto her good side so that she could wrap an arm around her. She immediately felt the brunette relax under her touch and sighed contently as she rested her head on Stacie's chest. "I'm really sorry about earlier."

"It's okay." Stacie responded.

"No, it really wasn't. I mean, I'm the one who put your life in danger and there I was, snapping at you." Jaiden said.

"You didn't put my life in danger, Jay."

"Well, he was there because of me." Jaiden pointed out quietly. Stacie began to draw slow patterns across the younger girl's back, careful to avoid the bandage on the exit wound. She had been afraid of how her lover was going to process what had happened, and the fact that she was leaning towards self –blame made Stacie nervous.

"Please don't. It was his fault and his fault only." Stacie assured her seriously.

"Whatever you want to believe." Jaiden huffed. She fell silent; listening to the sound of Stacie's heartbeat and the sound of her steady breathing. The slow moving fingertips across her back were beginning to lull her to sleep and she let her eyelids close after a few seconds of fighting it.

* * *

"Beca! Beca, wake up and look at this!" A very sore and very tired Beca Mitchell found herself staring straight into a phone screen after waking to the sound of her girlfriend's voice. She blinked a few times and focused on the image displayed in front of her, all the while feeling the various aches and pains in her limbs and torso flare up. A small smile played at her lips as she realized it was a picture of Jaiden and Stacie curled up in the other bedroom.

"I went in to check on her and found them like that. She must have come over in the middle of the night," Chloe beamed, pulling her phone back and staring at the picture again. Beca forced herself to sit up and moaned in pain as her injuries protested. The redhead beside the bed immediately put her hands on the smaller girl's back and her features were coated with concern.

"Are you okay? Do you want me to get you your meds? Or your crutches? Or maybe you should stay in bed all day-"

"Babe, I'm fine. And don't worry; I fully intend on keeping my ass attached to this mattress all day," Beca cut her off before Chloe could get too worked up. "_But_, I would appreciate it if you'd help me into the bathroom."

"Of course," Chloe nodded. With that, she gently scooped Beca up into her arms, avoiding the right side of her ribcage that she had already discovered was a sensitive spot. The older girl carried Beca into the bathroom with ease, stealing a quick kiss on the cheek as she walked, and then set her down gingerly right beside the toilet. Beca shooed her away as she balanced on one foot and used the towel rack for support, fully sure that she could at least manage to pee by herself.

"I'll be outside the door if you need anything," Chloe reminded her. Beca rolled her eyes and waited until she was finally alone to slowly sit down and go about her usual business. When she finally managed to hobble over to the sink, Beca caught a good look at herself for the first time in a few days. Her two black eyes had gotten even darker, and quite honestly, the brunette hardly recognized herself under all of the swelling and discoloration on her body. Beca tore her eyes away from the mirror and washed her hands quickly. She tapped on the door and Chloe opened it immediately.

"Come on, back to bed," Chloe wrapped an arm around Beca and helped her back over to their bed, where she laid down again stiffly. "I'm going to go out and make breakfast for everyone, okay? And then we're watching Netflix." The redhead told her. Beca couldn't help but smile adoringly as Chloe rushed out of the bedroom. However, the second the door closed behind her, the brunette grabbed her phone off of the nightstand and dialed her mother's number. Beca could feel her face grow hotter and hotter with every ring, and by the time the older woman picked up, she was ready to explode.

"_Rebecca?"_

"You fucking knew he was coming, didn't you?" Beca accused her immediately.

"_Please don't use that tone with me. I had no idea where he was going to go."_

"Bullshit. How could you put that piece of shit in front of your own daughter? I mean, I know you and I don't have anything, but you owed her. And you couldn't put her first."

"_Don't you speak about Ted that way. I called your sister and if she would have had any common sense, she would have known where he was going_."

"Are you seriously blaming her right now?" Beca shouted. She glanced towards the door quickly, hoping Chloe hadn't heard her, and lowered her voice a bit. "How the fuck can you live with yourself?"

"_That man had his faults, but he loved me and he's _gone _now. All because of you two. He was just trying to straighten you out and look what you've done. Have a nice life Rebecca, because you are no daughter of mine." _Beca's jaw dropped as the line went dead and she clenched her fist around the phone in a death grip. Their mom didn't even care. She didn't care that Jaiden could have died and it was all because her bastard of an ex-husband had put a bullet into her.

Too angry to continue to lie in bed, Beca slowly got onto her good foot and painfully hopped across the floor to her crutches. The brunette limped out of the bedroom, bracing herself for Chloe's disapproval, and was surprised to find her sister standing just outside her door.

"Hey, um, I was just about to knock." Jaiden explained sheepishly. Beca blinked away her shock and limped backwards enough so that the younger girl could slip past her. Giving the two of them some privacy, Beca shut the door behind her and hopped over to the bed. Jaiden sat down on the edge of it, favoring her side, and took in her sister's appearance silently. Beca looked rough, to say the least, and Jaiden couldn't help but feel at fault for it. Her sister had stood up to Ted to try and protect her. She had lunged at a man with a gun for her.

"Did you sleep okay?" Beca asked finally, breaking the silence. Jaiden was pulled out of her thoughts and she nodded. In truth, her sleep had been more of a light coma thanks to the prescription the hospital had set her up with.

"You?" Beca nodded in reply and sat down next to her. Jaiden was off and she knew it, but the older girl didn't have the confidence to actually call her out.

"I want you to wait a few days before going to classes, okay?" The older Mitchell changed the subject smoothly.

"Okay," Jaiden paused for a second. "I heard you talking to Mom. What did she say?" Beca's heart dropped at the realization and she debated her response for a few seconds. As far as she was concerned, Jaiden's mental state was probably on thin ice. Hearing that her own mother was more upset over Ted's death than the fact that he could have killed them wouldn't necessarily help that.

"You know she's a piece of shit, right?" Beca pointed out.

"Beca, what did she say?" Jaiden repeated herself stubbornly.

"She's pretty upset that he's dead, honestly." She admitted finally. Beca watched her sister nervously; trying to gauge her reaction, and found the younger girl's face blank and unreadable.

"Wow." Jaiden muttered finally. Beca frowned as she got to her feet and walked over to the door. "Look; Stacie already left for her morning classes, but if she comes back, can you just pretend we're not here?" Her voice changed slightly and if Beca would have been able to get back on her feet without whimpering, she would have.

"Jay? Come back, don't shut-" Beca was cut off by the door closing and she sighed in exasperation. "Don't shut me out." The brunette finished under her breath.

_**Uh oh. Angst is on its way. Don't forget to review and let me know what you'd like to see. Completely open to suggestions for the rest of the story!**_


	40. Chapter 40

The thing about depression and anxiety is that they're polar opposites. One leaves you practically unable to move and the other one makes it impossible to sit still. Anxiety makes its victim care entirely too much, while depression leaves them unable to find passion in even their favorite people or things. So, when Jaiden didn't come out of her room for the next 18 hours, Beca found herself completely put off at the idea of knocking on the door. She didn't want to annoy the younger girl. In fact, she really couldn't bear the idea of it. Therefore, Beca switched between hobbling around the apartment and distracting herself with new mixes from her spot on the couch, while Chloe looked on worriedly.

And then there was poor Stacie; who showed up the evening after she left and stood out in the hallway for nearly 20 minutes. The sophomore knocked on their door relentlessly and Chloe could only ignore it for so long. Eventually, the redhead answered it and quickly explained the situation in a low enough voice so that Beca didn't hear from the living room.

"Can I at least try to talk to her?" Stacie asked desperately. Chloe chewed her lip; not sure if letting the tall brunette in would be better for her girlfriend's younger sister or worse. But even by then, it was obvious that Beca didn't have any ideas on how to get through to her. Chloe sighed reluctantly before stepping aside and letting her in.

"Her door's locked," Beca spoke up from the couch, while her eyes never left the sound-waves scrolling across the scene in front of her. Chloe retreated to the cushion beside her and prepared herself to watch the sad situation that was about to unfold. But the redhead couldn't help but notice Beca's leg bouncing up and down rapidly; a nervous tick of the brunette's. Chloe reached across and gently laid a hand on Beca's knee, stilling the limb at once. Her bruised girlfriend finally glanced up from her laptop and searched Chloe's eyes for a few seconds before retreating back into her own little world. Frustrated, Chloe turned her attention back to Stacie.

"Jaiden? Are you okay in there?" Stacie called through the closed door. She rapped on the solid piece of wood loudly. After getting no response, Stacie wiggled on the doorknob and knocked again. "Don't either of you have a key?" The brunette whirled around and looked between Beca and Chloe.

"Yeah. I'm just not sure we should really invade her privacy, you know?" Chloe replied. Stacie scoffed at her in response and ran her fingers back through her dark locks.

"She got shot less than a week ago and you aren't concerned at all that you haven't heard from her all day?" Stacie asked accusatorily. Chloe arched an eyebrow and looked to Beca for backup. Unsurprisingly, the brunette didn't involve herself.

"You know what? Fine. Piss her off. Do what you want. They key's on top of the fridge." Chloe waved her off and crossed her arms in front of her. The redhead was getting more and more fed up with being in charge of everyone and then getting shit for it. Chloe watched as Stacie stalked into the kitchen, reached effortlessly above the fridge, and returned to the front of Jaiden's room with the master key. The brunette quickly unlocked the door and then slowly pushed it open. The lights were off inside and she took a few steps inside hesitantly.

"Babe? Are you okay?" Stacie looked around the dark room and finally locked eyes on the blanket covered lump in the center of the bed. She prodded at it gently and then leapt back as Jaiden's hand shot out from under the mess and shoved her away.

"I'm fine. Leave. Go to a party or something." She grumbled.

"I don't want to. I want to stay here with you." Stacie replied, trying to mask the hurt in her voice.

"My God, can you just leave me alone? Please?" Jaiden practically begged. Her words were slightly muffled under the covers, but that didn't soften their harshness at all. Stacie's eyes teared up and she promptly spun around on her heels. The emotional brunette stalked out of the room and back out to the main area of the apartment, where Chloe was watching with a bemused expression.

"Stace, don't take it personally-"

"How can I not take it personally? I'm supposed to be able to help her and all she does is push me away!" Stacie snapped.

"Then leave." Jaiden's disinterested voice sounded from her bedroom and caught all three of the other girls off guard. Shocked silence filled the apartment for a few tense seconds before she spoke up again. "I don't need your help. I don't need you. So just go. Relationships were never your thing anyway." After that, even Beca looked up from her distraction and paid attention.

"Wow. Okay then. Sorry for-" Stacie paused as her voice cracked. "Sorry for wasting your time." With that, the tall brunette hurried out of the apartment, wiping at the first tears that escaped her eyes. Much to Chloe's frustration, Beca turned back to her mix, apparently unfazed by the breakup.

"I guess I'll take care of this." The redhead sighed as she stood up from the couch. Chloe made her way into the bedroom and turned on the lights before shutting the door behind her. By this time, she was pretty much entirely fed up with the tension in the apartment and she didn't hesitate before ripping the covers off of Jaiden. The 18 year old groaned as the lights hit her eyes and she blinked tiredly.

"What?" Jaiden mumbled.

"How about you tell me what that was about?" Chloe asked. She sat down on the bed stubbornly as a sign that she wasn't going to leave until Jaiden talked.

"I can't be in a relationship right now."

"Why not?" Chloe pushed.

"Because I'm not good for her. I'm not good for anyone. I'm not even good for me."

"That's not true," Chloe chastised. "You've been great for Beca."

"Yeah. Getting beaten half to death was really great for her."

"Jaiden, you know that wasn't your fault."

"Partially, it was. Because all I keep thinking is that if I would have just gone with him the first time he asked, you two wouldn't have come outside. And then she wouldn't have gotten hurt, you know?" Jaiden's voice waivered and she finally rolled over to look up at Chloe. "So how can you say it wasn't my fault?" The 18 year old demanded tiredly.

"Look, I'm not going to argue with you about this, because you're obviously going to think whatever you want. But at least sit up enough so I can change the gauze on your boo-boo."

"Please don't call my badass bullet wound a boo-boo," To Chloe's relief, Jaiden smirked a tiny bit and forced herself to sit up.

"Sorry, kiddo." Chloe chuckled. She grabbed at the mini-first aid kit that the hospital had sent home with them and pulled out a few pads of gauze and tape before she tossed it back onto the nightstand. Jaiden rolled her shirt up, exposing the patch on her lower ribcage, and turned so that Chloe could work on it. Much to her surprise, the redhead tending to the injury didn't really bother her as much as she thought she would. Though when Chloe pulled back the tape, Jaiden couldn't help but tense in pain and she gripped the sheets under her. "You okay?"

"Yep," Jaiden nodded in confirmation and bit the inside of her cheek in an attempt to hide how much the bullet wound still stung. She managed to stay relatively still as Chloe quickly pressed a new patch of anti-septic soaked gauze to her side and then taped it in place. Jaiden hissed in pain as it stung and Chloe looked at her sympathetically before looking out the door.

"I know you're not really feeling life right now, but Beca's having a really hard time. You don't have to talk to her or anything, but would you mind going out and like, sitting with her for a little bit?" Chloe requested hopefully. Jaiden let out a long, slow sigh, but begrudgingly swung her legs over the side of the bed and held onto the redhead's shoulder. Chloe hid a relieved smile as she helped to stand and then pulled her out of the bedroom. "I'm going to get you something to eat." Jaiden shot the older girl an annoyed expression when she ditched her right outside the living room.

"Thanks," Jaiden grunted. The 18 year old rubbed the sleep from her eyes and then hesitantly sat down on the far end of the couch. She curled up into a ball and pulled the end of Beca's blanket over herself, effectively catching Beca's attention. The brunette's eyes widened in surprise and she quickly shut her laptop.

"Jaiden, hey, um, are you okay? What happened with Stacie?" The brunette stammered. She was completely caught off guard by her sister's sudden presence and her heart sped up immediately.

"I don't really want to talk about it," Jaiden replied.

"Oh, okay, that's fine. Is there anything you do want to talk about?"

"Not really."

_Why the hell am I so annoying? _The question flashed through Beca's eyes over and over again and she gripped the edges of her blanket nervously.

"I'm sorry," Beca blurted out. Jaiden propped her head up under her arm on the end of the couch and squinted at her in confusion.

"What?"

"I'm just sorry for always annoying you and not being able to make you feel better. I just feel like I'm in your way all the time and I can't help you. I couldn't even stop you from getting hurt-"

"Okay, no, I can't do this. Goodnight. Calm down." Jaiden lifted herself with a grunt of effort and stalked off towards her room again. Beca watched, feeling suddenly sick to her stomach and painfully aware of how she had just completely ruined what could have been a productive conversation. The brunette grabbed at her crutches and began hobbling quickly towards the door, only to be stopped by Chloe, who ran out of the kitchen at the sound of their rubber bottoms clicking on the floor.

"Where do you think you're going?" She demanded.

"I need to leave. All I do is upset everyone and I need to be alone." Beca explained so quickly that Chloe barely managed to catch half of the words. The redhead noticed a vaguely familiar glint in her eye; one that reminded her of the night that Jaiden had gone "missing".

"No, you're hurt and you need to stay here." She reprimanded her gently and reached behind her back in order to grasp the door handle. Beca gripped the handles of her crutches anxiously and shook her head.

"I need to go, Chloe. I need to get out of here." The smaller girl insisted. Chloe's eyebrows furrowed together in concern as she heard her girlfriend's breathing rate pick up. Unsure of whether or not she could even grasp Beca's shoulders without hurting her, Chloe settled on cupping the less bruised side of Beca's face and touching their foreheads together as lightly as she could. Blue eyes met a colder shade and Chloe could see the fear swirling in their depths.

"Stay with me, baby. It's alright. I've got you, but you need to stay with me." Chloe whispered. She felt Beca sigh shakily against her lips and rested her other hand on her hip. "Let's get into bed and go to sleep. You'll feel better in the morning." She coaxed. Beca nodded against her and then pulled back slightly. She dropped her crutches to the floor and draped her arms around Chloe's neck; trusting the older girl to lift her before she could lose her balance and fall. The redhead picked her up easily and walked steadily to the bedroom. Beca nuzzled against the inside of her neck as they crawled into bed and reluctantly released her hold on Chloe as the redhead straightened up to turn the lights off. Darkness flooded the room a few seconds later and Beca remained tense until she felt Chloe's arms wrap around her waist tenderly.

* * *

Jaiden lay in her bed, staring at the dark ceiling, and then flinched slightly as she felt her phone vibrate next to her head. She stayed still for a few seconds before lazily reaching over and picking up the device. Jaiden frowned at the message from an unfamiliar number that blinked across the smartphone's screen and debated opening it. And as soon as she did, she regretted it.

_**Told you –Amber**_

Jaiden's jaw locked as she stared at the attached image. It was blurry, but there was no doubt that the tall figure in the picture was Stacie. Jaiden did not, however, recognize the guy that was kissing her. He, on the other hand, apparently felt that he knew Stacie well enough to have a hand on her ass, and Jaiden suddenly felt hot, angry tears welling in her eyes. It had been an hour, or maybe even less, since their fight and Stacie had already moved on. And Jaiden knew she was at fault; she really did. But if Stacie had been able to go out to some party and pounce on the first guy that showed any interest, their relationship obviously hadn't meant much at all. Trying to ignore the dull pain in her chest and the sharp one in her side, Jaiden rolled over and buried her head under her blankets.

_**Wow. Angst. Lots of emotions coming up. Please don't forget to review!**_


	41. Chapter 41

The next morning hit Jaiden hard. It suddenly resonated in her that she had broken up with Stacie, over nothing, and that the older girl was already sleeping around again. So, despite the empty pang of her stomach and her slight need to shower, Jaiden continued to lie in bed, scrolling through her phone. She ignored the cautious knocks on her door that sounded about once an hour and popped a few painkillers around noon, hoping that they'd send her back to sleep. Considering they were opioids, she was out like a light by the time Chloe decided that enough was enough and she needed to check on her.

"Jaiden? Are you up?" The older girl asked softly. She hit the light switch and uncovered the curled up figure on the bed. The teenager was sound asleep and her phone was lying unlocked beside her head. Chloe hesitated for a moment before picking the device up and looking at the screen. Her heart dropped as she saw what Jaiden was have fallen asleep looking at. It was a picture of Stacie making out with someone. And judging by the time the message was sent, it had happened just last night.

"She moves on fast, doesn't she?" Chloe jumped and nearly dropped the phone, having not realized that Jaiden had woken up.

"This isn't moving on. This is Stacie coping. Last year, after her cat died back home, she slept with half of the rugby team in one week." Chloe informed her gently. She knew that the advice wouldn't really help whatever Jaiden was feeling, but it was better than her thinking that Stacie didn't care at all.

"I completely fucked things up. This is exactly why I didn't date after Cici-" Jaiden cut herself off as soon as she realized she was talking about her ex from high school. Chloe noticed her sudden defensive silence and decided to prod gently.

"Who was Cici?"

Jaiden closed her eyes at the question and couldn't help but picture the other girl's face. With long blonde hair and a smile so radiant it could compete with Chloe's, Cici had caught Jaiden's eye from their first class together. Of course, the brunette had immediately told herself that there was no way that this girl was gay, and even if she was, there was _no way _she'd go for her.

But then they had become lab partners and Cici had insisted that Jaiden come over one night to work on a lab write-up. And then that had turned into watching seven episodes of The Office in a row. Which somehow had turned into Cici admitting that when she got to college, she really wanted to experiment and figure out what she liked. Jaiden had then pointed out that waiting wasn't really a necessity and before she knew it, Cici had decided to experiment right then and there.

"Just…my first girlfriend. Kind of my only serious one before Stacie." Jaiden answered finally.

"What happened?" Chloe pushed.

"After...after what happened with Ted, she tried to come visit me in the hospital. And I just didn't want her there and I felt like she wasn't safe still dating me while I still lived at home. So, I pushed her away and kind of forced her to break up with me." Jaiden admitted. Shame laced her voice and she threw her arm over her eyes, wishing desperately that she was still asleep.

"Did you regret it?" Chloe asked. Jaiden nodded slightly and felt her cheeks redden as she recalled Cici's watery eyes as she had left the hospital that day, flowers still clutched in her hand. "Then don't do it again. Look; Beca's tried pushing me away countless times, but I learned to work with it because she's always made it clear that she wants to be here, and she always apologizes when she realizes she's doing it."

"So, I should go apologize?" Jaiden asked. She finally removed her arm from over her eyes and looked up at Chloe expectantly.

"If you want to get her back, then yes."

"Okay. Not today though," Jaiden sighed. "I'm going back to sleep."

"Actually, you're going to eat the food I made you last night. I'm going to go heat it up." Chloe told her sternly. Almost as if on que, Jaiden's stomach growled and she blushed sheepishly.

"Alright." Jaiden struggled to sit up and reluctantly allowed Chloe to help her onto her feet. The two girls made their way out to the kitchen and Jaiden caught sight of her sister in her signature position on the couch. She waited until she and Chloe were out of earshot before Jaiden spoke up. "How's she today?"

"Why don't you go ask her?" Chloe shot back as she pulled a plate out of the fridge.

"Because you're her girlfriend."

"You're her sister." The redhead pointed out. Jaiden glared at her as she shut the microwave door and pressed Reheat. As the machine began to hum, Chloe leaned on the counter beside the younger girl and arched an eyebrow. "I don't think she's been taking her medicine since the hospital." Chloe added quietly.

"What? Her Zoloft? Shit," Jaiden swore. She ran her hand back through her hair and glanced out towards the living room. "I'll be back." She muttered. Chloe watched, a bit surprised, as Jaiden stood up from her stool and stiffly walked out of the kitchen.

"Beca?" Jaiden called as she entered the living room. The tiny brunette remained oblivious to her presence due to the headphones that were blasting music into her ears and her sister huffed in frustration. She walked up behind Beca and pulled the small device off, effectively startling the older girl.

"Oh my God, you scared the shit out of me," Beca breathed out shakily. She straightened up and paused the mashup on her computer, obviously caught off guard by her sister's sudden intrusion.

"You need to keep taking your Zoloft. It doesn't do its job if you don't take it regularly." Jaiden deadpanned.

"What? I have been taking it." Beca stammered out. She averted her eyes from Jaiden's and drummed her fingers on her keyboard restlessly.

"No you haven't. But you need to." She insisted. Beca's eyes flickered towards Jaiden and then back to her computer. "I'm serious, Becs. You know how you get and Chloe and I don't want to see you do that to yourself."

"Okay, thanks, whatever." Beca snapped finally. Her sister's eyebrows rose in surprise at her sudden defense front and she backed away in response.

"Sure thing." Jaiden muttered. With that, she started back out to the kitchen and sat down at the counter again, obviously irate. Chloe was just taking her plate out of the microwave and she looked at Jaiden curiously.

"How'd that go?" Jaiden rolled her eyes at the question.

"How do you think? She's Beca."

"I know. And you're Jaiden. You're both frustratingly stubborn." Chloe smiled knowingly. She sat the warm plate down in front of Jaiden and handed her a fork. The argument with Beca had killed Jaiden's appetite, but she knew Chloe wasn't going to let her get away with not eating. So, the 18 year old stabbed at the leftovers and filled her admittedly empty stomach while Chloe secretly sent a quick "how're you doing?" to Stacie. She was honestly concerned for her fellow singer, especially with the amount of damage Stacie could do to herself with her nighttime activities.

"Well, I'm going back to bed." Jaiden announced as soon as she had finally finished her plate. The redhead jolted as her phone vibrated and nodded at the teenager as she threw her dishes in the sink and left. As soon as she was gone, Chloe unlocked her phone and opened the message from Stacie.

_Fine._

As in most cases, Chloe was sure that the word meant the opposite. And although she wanted to meddle, she knew it wasn't her place. The redhead typed back "Let me know if you need anything" and then put her phone back in her pocket. She was starting to go stir crazy and she made a split second decision to get out of the apartment for a little bit. Despite her hesitancy to leave Beca, they were running low on food and neither of her roommates were exactly in the position to grocery shop.

"Babe? I'm going to pick up a few things at the store. Do you want me to get you anything?" She shouted above the pounding bass line that was surely filling Beca's headphones. The tiny brunette looked up in surprise and then shook her head. "Okay. I'll be back in like an hour. Call me if you need anything." Chloe called as she grabbed her keys and hurried out the door.

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful for the three girls. Jaiden slept, Beca paced on her crutches and continued to work on her songs, and Chloe came home and cooked a dinner that nobody ate much of.

* * *

By the time night came, Jaiden couldn't possibly sleep anymore, even after she took a few more pills. The 18 year old ended up a little buzzed and staring at her ceiling once again, trying to follow the train of thought that her drugged mind was coming up with. The muddled inner monologue was interrupted when Jaiden's phone buzzled on the nightstand. Her stomach dropped when she saw the same number from last night had messaged her and she fumbled to unlock it. Another picture of Stacie, except this time Amber was in it, right next to her. The brunette looked wasted to say the least, and Jaiden's jaw locked when she saw the smirk on her classmate's face. Then the caption underneath completely set her off.

_**She's too easy**_

Jaiden clenched the iPhone tightly and then sat up unsteadily. She had to go. The idea that Amber was going to even lay a hand on Stacie was too much. Jaiden could feel blood rushing to her face and she got onto her feet. The 18 year old snagged her keys off of her dresser and crept quietly out of her bedroom. To her relief, she could see that the couch was empty, which made her trip to the front door a lot easier. Jaiden silently slipped her shoes on and made it out into the hallway without being detected. Her vision swam a bit from the medication she had taken, but it also dulled the pain in her side so she could speed walk down to the ground level. Jaiden went into an angry autopilot as she got into her car and sped towards the rehearsal hall. She had picked up on the location from the background of the picture and now all she could think about was bashing Amber's face off of the concrete floor.

The drive to campus didn't take long at all and Jaiden nearly stumbled out of her car trying to get into the hall as fast as she could. She could hear the blasting music from outside and her pulse raced harder as she pushed her way through the door. Jaiden searched the huge place desperately, trying to locate Stacie's familiar figure. Her heart leapt when her eyes locked on a slumped over figure in one of the seats who's neck was currently being worked on by a blonde. Despite the ever growing ache in her side, Jaiden shoved her way through the crowd and grabbed the girl she knew was Amber by the back of the hair. An agonizing shove sent her sprawling to the ground and Jaiden knelt down in front of Stacie, whose eyes were half shut.

"Stacie?" Jaiden patted the side of Stacie's face lightly and the older girl barely stirred. Something about her condition was much too familiar and her entire body tensed as she turned around to face Amber, who had just gotten to her feet. "What the fuck did you give her?" She demanded. The older girl flinched away from her, obviously expecting another attack.

"Nothing!"

"Bullshit! You drugged her." Jaiden accused the girl furiously. Amber's features flickered with panic and she quickly disappeared into the crowd of people, half expecting Jaiden to chase after her. If it hadn't been for the flair of pain in her side reminding her that she couldn't, Jaiden would have made good on the death threats she had been close to shouting. Instead, the brunette managed to calm herself enough to turn back around and tend to Stacie. Jaiden knew that she couldn't drag the taller girl out by herself, much less get her up to the apartment. So, despite her instinctive reluctance to ask for help, Jaiden pulled out her phone and dialed Chloe's number. She was taken off guard when she answered after only half a ring.

"_Where the hell are you?" _The redhead's voice filled the line stressfully and Jaiden frowned at her tone.

"I just, I had to come and get Stacie. I'm at a party on campus. How did you even know I was gone?" Jaiden stuttered.

"_Beca woke up and realized your room was empty. She's having a fucking panic attack on the floor," _Jaiden's stomach twisted and she covered her mouth with her hand. "_You can't just do this stuff to her."_

"I'm sorry, Chloe, really. But I need you to come and get her because someone drugged Stacie." Jaiden spoke quickly, hoping that Chloe would realize the severity of the situation.

"_I can't leave Beca here by herself! You're going to have to-" _

"Hey! Jaiden! What're you doing here?" The 18 year old whirled around to see a very excited and probably a little drunk boy that had eagerly introduced himself after recognizing her a few weeks ago.

"Chloe, never mind, just try to get her calmed down until I get there." Jaiden hung up quickly and grabbed Jesse by the arm.

"Jesse, look, I need you to help me get Stacie out to my car. I got, um, hurt this week and I can't get her out there by myself. She's roofied or something." Jaiden explained. The brown haired boy frowned in immediate concern and nodded. Jesse stepped over to Stacie and lifted her up carefully before starting towards the exit.

_**So, what would you guys like to see happen next? Lots of options when they get back to the apartment! Also, who hates Amber? Because I really do.**_


	42. Chapter 42

"This one?" Jesse pointed towards the small Ford Escort with his free hand and Jaiden nodded as she hurried to unlock one of the back doors.

"Can you sit back there with her in case she throws up?" Jaiden asked.

"Yeah, yeah, of course." The man nodded as he carefully sat Stacie inside the vehicle and then slid in next to her. Jesse sat her up against the window and then pulled her seatbelt across her chest. Jaiden hesitated, wanting to make sure they would be alright back there, and then finally got into the driver's seat. Her side was on fire at this point and she winced as she put the car into drive. Jaiden's mind raced as she went back and forth between worrying about Beca and the girl in the backseat. She wasn't even sure if Stacie would forgive her after everything and the thought of the conversation they would have to have in the morning made her almost nauseous with fear.

"So, how's stuff with Beca going?" Jesse piped up from the backseat. Jaiden glanced into the rearview mirror at him and then returned her attention to the road.

"Fine. Everything's fine. We've been doing really good."

"You know, you're an even worse liar than she is. But I know you Mitchell girls hate prying, so I'll shut up." Jesse pointed out with a chuckle. Jaiden blushed at his observation and decided to change the subject quickly.

"So, how did you and Beca end things? And why do you still seem to be on such good terms?"

"Well, I'll always love your sister. She's a cool chick. But Beca was still figuring herself out when we dated and neither one of us were at fault when she realized she loved Chloe. I understood and we obviously get along, so we're still friends." He explained.

"You are quite possibly the most understanding guy I've ever met. Good for you." Jaiden replied. She took a sharp right and floored it down the next two blocks to the apartment building, holding in a hiss of pain as her seatbelt dug into her side.

"Thank you, baby Mitchell." Jesse grinned. To his surprise, Stacie stirred a bit and mumbled something that sounded a bit like "baby Mitchell" and Jaiden turned around as she hit the brakes.

"Did you all come up with that collectively?" She mumbled, more to herself than him. Jesse laughed again, obviously an easily amused person, and then unbuckled Stacie as Jaiden put the car in park. The 18 year old got out of the car and struggled to catch her breath as another jolt of pain hit her. Jesse got Stacie to her feet and began pulling her towards the entrance. The tall brunette was still incredibly out of it and her head lolled to the side limply. Jaiden watched nervously as the two made their way into the apartment and followed closely behind.

The elevator ride seemed to take forever, and Jaiden eyed Stacie the entire time, watching to see if the older girl was about to be sick. Her eyes weren't even open anymore and it was a bit obvious that Jesse's arms were starting to get tired from holding her entire body weight up.

"Thanks again for helping." Jaiden said as the doors opened in front of them. "Do you want me to call you a cab back to campus or something?"

"No, no, don't worry about it. Old Jesse can handle a couple of blocks." He replied, grunting with a bit of effort as they started down the hallway.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep," Jesse's brow furrowed with effort as they stopped in front of the apartment door and Jaiden pulled her key out. "Just please open the door faster."

"Right, sorry." Jaiden fumbled to unlock the door and got it open eventually. They were met immediately with the sound of Chloe slamming on a door somewhere down the hallway and shouting Beca's name frantically. Jesse frowned in concerned confusion and turned to look at Jaiden, who's face had paled significantly.

"What's going on-"

"Nothing. I can take it from here, but thank you for your help." Jaiden cut the boy off quickly and wrapped an arm around Stacie's waist. She locked her jaw in order to hide the pain that the exertion of movement caused and pulled the tall girl inside. Jesse was met with a door in the face before he could ask any more questions and he had no other choice but to start making his way back to campus.

"Chloe?" Jaiden shouted desperately. She was losing her grip on Stacie and the girl muttered something incoherent as her ex swayed under her. "Okay, we're going down." Jaiden winced as she dropped to her knees from the ricocheting pain that stemmed from her lower ribcage. She laid Stacie back as gently as she could onto the floor and looked up just in time to see Chloe racing out of the hallway.

"She's locked herself in the bathroom and if you can't get her out in 10 minutes, I'm calling 911." Chloe threatened tearfully. The redhead looked stressed to say the least, and she gestured to her right, waiting for Jaiden to move. "I'll watch her, but you need to go. Every time I unlock it the door, she locks again before I can open it."

"Okay, okay," Jaiden got to her feet despite the growing agony on her left side and took the key from Chloe as she rushed down the hall. The 18 year old passed the bathroom and stopped in her bedroom briefly, grabbing a blanket, and then practically running back to the locked door.

"Beca? It's me. It's Jaiden," The freshman called. "I'm sorry I freaked you out when I left."

"Jaiden?" A small voice replied from behind the door.

"Yeah. Can you come out? Or let me in?" Jaiden asked hopefully.

"No."

"And why not?" The younger girl's voice was patient, though a bit more concerned, and she glanced down the hallway when a flicker of movement caught her eye. Chloe was dragging a very limp Stacie into her bedroom, and the redhead's face was scarlet from the effort.

"I just can't fucking deal with anyone right now. Go away." Beca's words trembled and Jaiden made a split second decision to jam the key into the lock and give it her best shot. The freshman held the key in the unlocked position as tightly as she could, and then forced the knob to the side quickly. Before Beca could stop her, Jaiden had forced her way into the pitch black bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her.

"Hey, look, come here." Jaiden sat down on the floor and felt out in front of her cautiously. Her fingers brushed against cold and slightly sweaty skin and she gripped what she guessed was Beca's arm tightly.

"No."

"Yes. See, this is what happens when you don't take your pills." Jaiden sighed. The wound in her side flared up again as she settled on the chilly tile floor and got a secure hold on her sister. She could hear Beca's breathing and its quick rate was concerning, so she felt blindly behind her with her free hand for the blanket she had grabbed.

"No; this is what happens when you skip out in the middle of the night, _again_." Beca shot back. Forcing back the guilt that the comment brought, Jaiden threw the blanket around her sister's shoulders and wrapped her up in it. Much to Jaiden's relief, she felt the small girl relax slightly.

"I'm sorry, Becs. I promise I'm not going to disappear on you anymore. I'll let you know what's going on. I just…I had to get to Stacie tonight. This bitch…she sent me a picture of her completely fucked up at a party and she was going to try to sleep with her. And then it turned out that she drugged her. I hope you understand why I had to go." Jaiden explained sincerely. She rubbed her hands up and down Beca's sides and squinted through the darkness at her.

"I just thought you were gone again." The older girl mumbled. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself and leaned back against the bathtub behind her.

"I'm not. I swear to you, Becs." Jaiden reiterated. "Can I hug you? Will that help?"

"You can." With permission, Jaiden leaned over and wrapped her arms around Beca firmly; ignoring the pain in her ribcage. She felt a pair of small arms cling onto her shirt and she winced slightly at the tiny pressure. The reaction didn't go unnoticed.

"Are you okay? What's going on? Did I hurt you?" Beca demanded frantically. Her voice rose in pitch and Jaiden leaned back and squeezed her shoulders reassuringly.

"No, Beca, relax. It wasn't you. I overdid it getting Stacie here." She told her.

"Oh. You should take something for the pain and lie down." Beca suggested.

"How about we both get up, take our respective pills, and go to bed?" Jaiden cocked her head to the side, waiting for an answer, and suppressed a sigh of relief when Beca shifted up onto her knees. The older Mitchell sibling got up and turned the lights on. Both of them took a second to let their eyes adjust, and then Beca carefully helped her sister onto her feet. They exchanged agreeing glances before opening the medicine cabinet and grabbing their own labeled orange pills.

"Bottoms up," Jaiden winked before popping two small blue tablets into her mouth. She swallowed them dry and then watched Beca until the brunette did the same thing. Satisfied that Beca would eventually be able to calm down enough to sleep, Jaiden wrapped her right arm around her waist and helped her to limp out of the bathroom. The sound of the door opening had apparently been enough to alert Chloe, and the redhead came barreling down the hall immediately.

"She just took her pills, so you should probably get her to bed." Jaiden advised. Chloe nodded in understanding and gazed at her gratefully before taking Beca from her. The two began slowly towards their bedroom and Jaiden watched them until the door shut behind them.

"Goodnight." The brunette mumbled before turning around. The painkillers were beginning to take their effect and though she was grateful for the relief, she was also getting incredibly tired. The 18 year old walked stiffly into her bedroom and froze when she saw Stacie's still form curled up in her bed. The situation with Beca had nearly made her forget that Stacie was in the apartment, but now there was no possible way Jaiden could move her by herself.

"Stacie? Are…are you still up?" She asked softly. Jaiden moved closer to the bed and leaned down; listening for any bit of a reply. All she picked up was the soft sound of Stacie's breathing, and Jaiden hesitated for a few seconds before lying down next to her. She kept her distance and faced away from Stacie sadly; struggling with the fact that they were in bed together and she felt like she couldn't even touch her. She wasn't even sure Stacie would speak to her in the morning. If it weren't for the drugs, she would be too anxious about it to even sleep. But, her nerves were no match for the tiny pills, and she soon drifted off on the side of the bed.

_**Sorry this was a little short guys. i've been running out of inspo a bit lately, so if you have any suggestions, let me know please. feedback is always welcome**_


	43. Chapter 43

Stacie woke up in a haze; both physically and mentally. It took her a couple seconds for her to realize where exactly she was and why it was so wrong that she was there, due to the complete fog that enveloped her mind. She shifted under the arm that was draped around her and slowly came to terms with the fact that Jaiden was nestled into her side; sleeping soundly.

The memories of the previous night were blurry at best. Stacie could recall walking into the party and being approached by a blonde after a few minutes. She had debated whether or not she wanted to be with a girl again so soon; but her suitor had been persistent and she figured that it would at least be a distraction. After the girl-Amber-had given her the first drink, everything started to get fuzzy.

And now somehow she was here, with Jaiden. Stacie was certain she hadn't made it to the apartment on her own will; considering she recalled not being able to get to her feet. So, now she was left to wonder whether Jaiden had come to pursue her, or if someone had just dumped her off at the apartment; unaware that the two had broken up.

Stacie drifted in and out of a light morning sleep for the next hour or so; too nervous about the inevitable conversation she'd have to have if she woke up Jaiden by moving. It was around 9 when the younger girl stirred. Her arm tightened around Stacie slightly for a second and she yawned tiredly. The taller brunette watched anxiously as Jaiden got her bearings and slowly locked her gaze on Stacie's face. Neither girl volunteered to speak for a few seconds, and it took Jaiden struggling to sit up to finally force Stacie to.

"Are you okay?" She asked. The brunete's eyes sparked with concern and she straightened up, ignoring the bout of nausea the small action brought.

"I'm fine," Jaiden paused, realizing how silly the words sounded when they left her mouth. "Actually, I'm not. I'm so sorry, Stace. I know I can't keep pushing everyone away anymore, and I should have realized that before I lost you. But I love you, and if you give me a second chance, I promise I'll stay, no matter what. I want to be with you." She reached over and took Stacie's hand as she waited for her response anxiously. The idea that she could get up and walk out the door sent a bolt of panic through Jaiden's chest and she squeezed Stacie's hand a little tighter.

"I love you too. You know that." Stacie said finally. Jaiden released a held in breath and rested her forehead down onto the older girl's shoulder. Warmth spread to her cheeks as she felt Stacie press a kiss to the top of her head. "But Jaiden…I slept with someone else." The 18 year old froze at the admission and she felt the blush in her cheeks dissipate.

"Who?" Jaiden asked quietly. She felt Stacie sigh under her and forced herself to look up and meet the older girl's gaze.

"I don't know. Some guy. I was just so upset the night we broke up and…you know I'm just a whore-"

"Don't say that about yourself. I broke up with you. It was my fault. It's not like you cheated." Jaiden cut her off and shook her head firmly. The reality of the situation still stung, but she didn't feel blame for anyone but herself. She had driven Stacie away and she couldn't blame the older girl for coping with old habits. Sex for her was like bailing for Jaiden.

"It feels like I did. The whole time, I just felt…it felt so wrong." Stacie admitted. And if she was being honest with herself, she felt sick when she thought about the boy's lips moving sloppily up and down her neck.

"I can't say I'm not relieved to hear you say that." Jaiden said. She rested her head back down onto Stacie's shoulder and draped her arm around her waist tightly.

"I'm just…so sorry." Stacie sighed.

"Well, I forgive you. So you can stop being sorry." The younger girl told her sincerely. Keeping her eyes locked with Stacie's, she gingerly got to her feet and then held out her hand. Stacie took it and followed her lead, though a bit unsteady on her feet due to the serious hangover she was suffering from. "I'm going to run across the street and get some breakfast. There's coffee in the kitchen and I'll be back in a couple of minutes." Jaiden kissed her newly reinstated girlfriend on the cheek as they made it into the main area of the apartment. She let go of Stacie's hand somewhat reluctantly and watched as the tired brunette shuffled into the kitchen and began to brew herself a mug of coffee. Jaiden was just about to turn towards the door when she remembered the promise she had made the night before. Not wanting to chance throwing Beca into another breakdown, Jaiden pushed past her own discomfort and knocked on the main bedroom's door lightly. Getting no answer, she quietly let herself in and observed the two sleeping girls in bed. Chloe and Beca were intertwined tightly with each other, and Jaiden couldn't help but smile a tiny bit at the way the older girl held her sister so closely. She found herself hoping that she and Stacie would work together as well as they did someday. She knew there was potential for it. They just had to get to know each other more.

Not wanting to disturb Beca's much needed sleep; Jaiden knelt down by their nightstand and opened the drawer. The brunette pulled out a pen and a piece of paper and then jotted down a quick "_Went to get breakfast from that place on the corner. Be back soon."_. Satisfied that the note would suffice if Beca happened to wake up while she was gone, Jaiden stood up and walked quietly back out of the room. She shut the door behind herself and headed towards the front door. The 18 year old grabbed her purse from one of the hooks by the doorway and headed out into the hallway. Jaiden kept her pace quick as she hurried down to the first floor and out onto the street. The moment she stepped outside, she immediately regretted not grabbing a jacket. The mid-October chill sent goosebumps up and down her arms and she suppressed a shiver as she jogged across the empty street. Dark clouds sprawled across the sky and from the look of it, it could rain any second.

"I can help you whenever you're ready." The cashier behind the counter of the vacant café greeted Jaiden as soon as she got through the door.

"Yeah, um, could I get four breakfast platters to go?" Jaiden asked. She pulled her credit card out of her wallet and laid it down as the middle aged woman typed her order into the cash register. She took her receipt and stepped to the side as the woman turned and stepped back into the kitchen. Jaiden waited impatiently for the food to come out, wanting nothing more than to get back to the apartment and spend the day with Stacie. She had been thinking long and hard on her walk over about the changes she needed to make, and finding more ways to show the older girl how much she wanted her in her life was one of them. And although it hurt to think about the fact that Stacie had been with someone else during their short breakup, she was determined not to let it come in between them. She just had to prove that she was the one Stacie belonged with.

"Order up, sweetie." Jaiden was pulled out of her thoughts by the worker setting four Styrofoam to-go boxes on the counter. She thanked the woman politely and grabbed the food. The warmth of the boxes did nothing against the cold fall wind the hit her when she got outside again, and she hunched against the chill. Jaiden glanced both ways and raced across the street, back into the apartment complex. With one fleeting glance at the elevator, she opted for the stairs and nearly ran up to her floor. She fumbled for her keys and let herself in once she finally managed to get the door unlocked.

"Jaiden?" Beca's voice called out seconds after Jaiden shut the door behind herself. The small brunette poked her head around the corner and visibly relaxed when she spotted her sister kicking off her shoes. Jaiden offered her a reassuring smile and met her at the end of the hall.

"Morning. I grabbed breakfast for everyone. You found the note I left, right?" Jaiden replied calmly. She handed her sister one of the boxes and then gave the older girl a one-armed hug, which Beca returned tightly.

"Yeah. Thank you." She murmured.

"Good morning!" Chloe sang, stepping out of the bedroom just in time to catch the siblings hugging. She had been watching Beca carefully ever since the brunette had woken up and found the note beside the bed. The fact that Jaiden had left the explanation for her absence actually struck a chord with Chloe, and she was rather proud of the younger girl for starting to step up. Ever since the incident with Ted, the relationship between the two sisters had been strained as each of them attempted to cope with what had happened. And for some reason, even though she had a palpable excuse of where she was and why she had left the apartment, Beca had still seemed nervous.

"Morning. I turned the tables a bit this morning and grabbed breakfast. Don't get used to it though; you're still the alpha food supplier." Jaiden chuckled as she handed the older girl her box.

"Aren't you sweet," Chloe landed a quick kiss on Jaiden's cheek when she took the food, and the 18 year old feigned disgust as she wrinkled her nose and wiped at her face.

"Gross," Jaiden groaned. "Where are your crutches? Should you be putting weight on that so soon?" She turned her attention to the fact Beca was using her ankle and then looked over at Chloe for backup.

"It's not broken. No use babying it." Beca shrugged. Her sister watched anxiously as she limped into the kitchen and stiffly lifted herself onto one of the stools at the counter. Chloe rolled her eyes, but followed her either way. Satisfied that her sister was alright for now, Jaiden grabbed two forks from the kitchen and then found Stacie exactly where she had left her in the living room.

"Hey," Jaiden greeted her cautiously and peeked over the back of the couch as she neared it. Stacie jumped a bit, waking from her light slumber, and sat up in an attempt to make it look like she wasn't just sleeping. Jaiden couldn't help an amused smile, and handed the tall girl her breakfast.

"Thanks," Stacie said. Jaiden sat down next to her, a bit reserved, and opened her own box. Stacie could tell that the younger girl was immensely uncertain about what page they were on, and although she was too, she didn't want to make Jaiden feel isolated. So, Stacie scooted across the cushion between them and rested against the 18 year old comfortably. She pulled the blanket off of the back of the couch across her legs, and then draped it over Jaiden as well. "Can we stay like this all day?" She asked hopefully.

"I'd love to." Jaiden replied. Stacie felt the younger girl relax underneath her and found the pounding headache she was dealing with much more bearable as she rested against her. "You can put on Netflix if you want. I just started watching Grey's Anatomy."

"Yes! Finally!" Chloe's voice caused both girls to jump and the redhead grinned excitedly down at them from her unnoticed position behind the sofa. Jaiden breathed out a startled sigh and shook her head as the redhead plopped down on the end of the couch and grabbed the remote. Beca followed a few moments later, limping along, and lowered herself slowly down into the space between Chloe and her sister. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Jaiden for a brief second, and the younger brunette picked up on her still apprehensive demeanor. With an explanatory glance at Stacie, she shifted under the older girl until she could rest her head on Beca's shoulder. She was a bit concerned about jarring her still healing injuries, but that worry faded as Beca reached over and intertwined her fingers with Jaiden's.

"So, Grey's Anatomy it is then?" Chloe spoke up from her end of the couch. The other three girls nodded in agreement and settled in for what would be a very lazy day.

_**So this chapter was actually almost happy! Still stalling a bit in the inspiration department, but thank you all so much for the suggestions. I'm willing to continue the story with a more positive vibe, or throw in some more angst. Whatever you guys want!**_


	44. Chapter 44

"Are you sure you have to go?" Jaiden pouted as she followed her girlfriend to the door miserably. Still dressed in her pajamas and thinking clearly for the first time in days, Jaiden was glad she had toughed the day out and not taken her painkillers.

"I've got class at 8 tomorrow, babe." Stacie replied.

"I know," Jaiden admitted. The two girls stopped right in front of the door and looked at each other in silence for a few seconds. Jaiden was the first to lean in, knowing that she needed to step up, and Stacie met her halfway in a short, but meaningful kiss.

"I love you, Jay." Stacie whispered when she pulled back. Her girlfriend blushed obviously and squeezed the hand she was holding.

"I love you back." She said. Jaiden eyes remained locked on the taller girl until the door closed behind her. And to her own surprise, she felt a bit on loneliness creep up on her when the brunette was no longer there. Generally, spending an entire day with anyone was exhausting for her, but that day had been different. She had found herself genuinely comfortable resting between her girlfriend and her sister, and she knew that it had put Beca at ease as well.

"So, are things all good between you two?" Jaiden turned around at Chloe's question and nodded in response.

"Yeah. I apologized. Promised to do better," She explained. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you too. In private." Jaiden nodded towards her bedroom and Chloe started towards it immediately. Jaiden moved after her and shut the door once they were both through the doorway. She took a deep breath and sat down at her desk chair, wanting to have what she was about to say planned out before it turned into a nervous ramble. Chloe sat down on the bed across from her and waited patiently.

"I understand if you're still mad at me for last night. I wasn't expecting either of you to wake up until I got back, and I just needed to get to Stacie. I got in a fight with this girl before…before everything happened and she sent me a picture with her last night. I just…I kind of lost it. And I'm not saying last night went well, by any means, but it's a good thing I left when I did, because that bitch put something in her drink-" Jaiden felt herself beginning to get worked up again and paused, calming herself. "But, I should have at least told one of you I was leaving. I didn't think to. And I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I was harsher than I needed to be. It's just so scary when Beca gets like that, and I was honestly beginning to think that you had run away again. But if the situation had been reversed, and Beca had been somewhere with someone I hated, I would have probably done exactly what you did." Chloe told her sincerely. Her eyes sparkled with kind sincerity and that's what made her next statement hit so hard. "But I need you to try harder with Beca."

Ouch. That stung a bit. Jaiden blinked away surprise and frowned at the girl across the room. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"I mean what happened that night hasn't just affected you. She wakes up like five times a night, shaking, and she's the one constantly tip-toing around like she's scared to upset you. And honestly, Jaiden, you've made like zero attempts to help her, at all." Chloe pointed out bluntly. The redhead crossed her arms, feeling as though she had proved her point.

"You think I know how to help her? No one helped me before, so it's not like I actually had an examples to work with." Jaiden replied defensively.

"That's because you never let anyone help you. I'm sure Beca would have if you wouldn't have shoved her out of your life." Chloe fired back. She watched in irritated amusement as Jaiden stood up to leave and scoffed. "Wow, didn't take much to get you to break your promise. Where are you planning on running this time?"

"Can you please just stop acting like you know what happened between me and _my _family? It's not even your business and you don't know the whole story, okay? Back the fuck off." Jaiden snapped. Her hand gripped the door handle tightly and her pulse pounded in her ears. And if she was being honest with herself, all she wanted to do was leave. Chloe could see it in her tense stance and fidgety grasp on the door and cocked her head to the side, waiting. Jaiden was still a flight risk, and she knew it. She also knew that the teenager had good intentions, and had meant her promise about staying as well. She just wasn't quite mentally equipped enough to carry it out.

"Well? Are you going to sit down and talk this out, or are you going to bail? Again." Chloe challenged. She was fully prepared to intervene if Jaiden chose the latter, but the 18 year old surprised her by releasing the handle and returning to her chair angrily.

"What the fuck do you want me to do then? Because it kind of sounds like you want me to go." Jaiden said.

"Does it? What have I said that led you to come up with that?" Chloe asked her. She arched an eyebrow, skeptical of what the younger girl would use as proof for her accusation.

"It's just the way you're acting right now. Like I'm not good enough for Beca or something. Well guess what? I never claimed to be. You drug me into this, so if I'm ruining your lives, it's your fault." Jaiden was in full on defense mode and she gripped the seat of the chair tightly. Chloe noticed her muscles flexing in her arms and decided to tone it down just a little bit.

"You aren't ruining our lives. But you can't deny the fact that Beca hasn't been doing so well lately."

"And it's my fault?"

"Well, both of her breakdowns were sparked by you." Chloe's words were matter of fact and she saw the hurt on Jaiden's face the moment she said them. The teenager's uptight exterior melted into one of utter shame and her glare turned to the floor, softened by the blow.

"You're right," The younger girl's voice was thick with held back tears, and she blinked quickly in a meager attempt to hold them back.

"Jaiden," Chloe started softly. The 18 year old shook her head and stood up again, rushing for the door.

"You're absolutely right. That's why I need to go. I'm not good for her. I've never been good for anyone. That's why everything always goes wrong." She muttered, more to herself than to Chloe, as she stalked out into the hallway and directed her path towards the front door. The redhead followed her closely, praying that Beca wouldn't catch onto the situation before she could tone it down.

"That's not what I'm saying. Jaiden, please, don't go." She pleaded quietly. Chloe grabbed Jaiden's arm and locked her grip. The 18 year old was forced to stop and face her, knowing she couldn't overpower the avid Club Fitness member. Her eyes were brimming with tears, much to her dismay, and she made herself meet the upset blue ones in front of her. She hated crying in front of others; absolutely hated it. That had been one of the things Ted _always _mocked her for. His voice filled her head as she felt the first drops began to slide down her cheeks.

"_What are you crying for, huh? Can't handle a little discipline?" _

"_You're sniveling about something you brought on yourself."_

"_Come on, it didn't hurt that bad."_

"Come on-" Jaiden tensed at the familiar words that came out of Chloe's mouth and she pulled back fiercely. Her arm broke free from Chloe's grip, but she lost her balance and stumbled back, colliding against the door with a loud cry. Hot pain seared through her side, and she felt the familiar sensation of warm blood beginning to rush down her side. Jaiden clutched at the soaked bandages around her wound and whimpered at the feeling of popped stitches.

"Oh my God, Jaiden, you're bleeding." Chloe dropped to her knees beside Jaiden as the teenager finally slid down the door, coming to rest on the rug beneath her. Footsteps sounded from behind her and she grimaced at Beca's audible gasp of shock.

"What the hell happened?" The small brunette demanded. She hobbled down the hall and dropped stiffly to Jaiden's side. Her eyes widened at the dark stain seeping through the 18 year old's shirt.

"Nothing. I tripped and hit the door. I'm fine." Jaiden answered quickly. She reached up with her free hand to quickly wipe away the stray tears on her face, only to fine more falling at the look on Beca's face. She was so concerned; so scared. And Jaiden didn't deserve that. She had never deserved Beca and she never would.

"You're not fine. Come on; we've got to get you to a hospital." Chloe interjected. Jaiden quickly pushed her hands away when the redhead attempted to help her up. Despite the increase of both bleeding and minor agony the action caused, Jaiden got to her feet and brushed past them.

"Where are you going?" Beca called after her. Jaiden ignored her question and locked herself in the bathroom, leaving a small streak of blood on the door handle. Once safely inside, she stripped off her ruined shirt and pulled the gauze that clung stickily to her skin. Blood streamed down her ribcage from the reopened wound, and she sucked in a harsh breath as her fingers grazed the red mess lightly. Fists began to knock on the door rapidly, and Jaiden clenched her jaw shut.

"I'm okay. Leave me alone." She said. Then, Jaiden opened the cabinets in front of her and went to work on herself. Because if there was one thing she knew, it was how to perform first-aid. Jaiden pulled her t-shirt off of the floor and pressed it to the wound firmly, despite the way her body protested at the action. The 18 year old sat down on the floor with a new pack of gauze and a roll of medical tape; determined that she could fix this herself. Jaiden stretched onto her good side in order to allow gravity to do some of the work, and waited patiently for the bleeding to slow. Eventually, after nearly 10 minutes, the blood began to thicken and the wound became sticky, until finally it clotted enough to stop bleeding all together. Jaiden picked herself up, careful to avoid jostling herself too much, and slowly began to wipe away at the mess of dried blood on her side with a wet washcloth. She could hear the two girls outside the bathroom door whispering loudly, obviously arguing about what to do, and before she knew it she was crying again, because Chloe really had been right. She made life hard for Beca. She strained the older two girls' relationship. They would probably be living happily if it wasn't for her. Beca wouldn't have gotten hurt, and no one would be fighting right now if she wasn't here.

"I have to go." Jaiden whispered to herself. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and paused in her attempt to clean her injury. Stay or go? Risk hurting Beca more in the long run, or rip off the band-aid and get the worst of it over now? Break her promises and hope Beca would understand eventually, or continue struggling not to ruin her two roommates' lives? The choice was impossible, and filling her mind with immensely conflicting possibilities and outcomes. She had no idea how to take care of Beca, or even help her for that matter. She could barely take care of herself.

"Jay? Can you please just open the door? Please?" Jaiden was pulled out of her thoughts by her sister's voice and she turned towards the door with fresh tears in her eyes. She didn't know what to do. But despite her complete uncertainty, Jaiden reached forward and undid the lock with a small click. Within seconds, the door opened and her sister slipped inside, worry painted all over her bruised face. She looked down at the half cleaned injury on her side and then eventually, up to Jaiden's tear-streaked face.

"Maybe we should go to the hospital, if it really does hurt that bad-"

"It doesn't. Beca," Jaiden's voice hitched in her throat. "I'm not good for you."

"What?" Beca shook her head and sat the younger girl down on the closed toilet seat behind her. She took the bloody washcloth from Jaiden's hand and carefully pressed it to her sister's side, taking over the job of cleaning it.

"Chloe was right. Ever since I came back into your life, you two have fought more, and your anxiety has gotten worse, and you're just not happy. And you got hurt because of me." Jaiden's voice turned to a hoarse whisper, and Beca stared at her, astounded that she could be thinking this way.

"When did Chloe say this to you?" She questioned.

"She didn't say that. It's just…she said I need to step up for you and I don't know how to. I'm not cut out for this Beca, and I think it'd be better for both of us if I just left." Beca's eyes widened and she shook her head again immediately.

"No. Jay, you belong here. We're sisters, okay? I need to be stronger for you, and I need to trust you, and that's on me. All I need from you is you." Beca searched her sister's dark eyes, praying that she was listening to her. Jaiden's only response was a slight grimace at Beca's touch, and just the smallest hint of a nod. The older girl tossed the red stained cloth she had been using into the bathtub and exchanged it for the gauze beside them. Beca pulled off a section and pressed it to the laceration as gently as she could, not oblivious to the fact that Jaiden was biting her bottom lip in an attempt to mask how much pain she was in.

"I'm almost done." Beca assured her softly. With that, she taped the gauze in place firmly and smoothed the bandage down as gently as she could. Satisfied with her handiwork, Beca managed to get back to her feet and then waited patiently for Jaiden to get up as well. The 18 year old wiped the remaining tears from her face and stood.

"Take a few of your pain pills and go to bed." The older Mitchell instructed. Jaiden nodded in silent understanding, popped two of the small tablets from the orange bottle on the sink, and left the bathroom. Chloe, who had remained outside the door the entire time, approached her tentatively as she made her way towards her bedroom.

"Jaiden, I'm sorry-"

"For what? Being right? Just forget it, Chloe." Jaiden cut her off coldly, never slowing her pace, and left the redhead standing in the hall, facing a closed door.

_**Sounds like there's a lot of work to be done, huh? Reviews/feedback/suggestions are greatly appreciated!**_


	45. Chapter 45

"What the hell did you say to her?" Beca demanded, closing in on Chloe the second Jaiden slammed her door shut. She could see guilt plastered all over the redhead's face and for a moment, she regretted how harshly she had called her out.

"Beca, listen, I was just trying to get her to realize that she hasn't been treating you-"

"She's been treating me as well as she can manage, and she's not _your _little sister." Beca cut her off fiercely. She was in no mood to hear any form of an excuse for what had set her sister off. Not when it had gotten her hurt.

"She might as well be!" Defensive, Chloe offered the remark without hesitation. Her girlfriend glared at her, having not expected her to play that card, and she shot a wary glance towards the closed bedroom door beside them. The last thing she wanted Jaiden to hear was them fighting, so she grabbed Chloe's arm and hauled her into their own room.

"You made her _cry_, Chloe. She doesn't really do that too often, in case you haven't noticed. My anxiety, _my problems_, aren't on her. They're on me. I'm her older sister and I'm supposed to be the one taking care of her, so you need to just lay off. Got it?" Beca's tone left no room for argument, and Chloe was forced to nod.

"I swear I didn't mean to upset her. I'm sorry. I just don't want to see what happened tear you two apart again. Neither…neither of you have been dealing with it very well," Chloe took a deep breath before saying what she had been thinking since Beca had woken up their first night home, screaming. "I think that you two should consider therapy."

Beca accepted the idea in skeptical silence, mulling over what her girlfriend had said. Therapy wasn't a terribly welcoming concept in her mind. The man she had gone to for a whole three weeks was dispassionate, uninterested, and hardly had taken the time to listen to her before he prescribed medication. Not that Beca was especially open during her sessions.

"I don't think so." The brunette answered finally. A look of dismay crossed Chloe's face and she pursed her lips in frustration. She had known this conversation wouldn't go easy when the time came.

"I know it might be uncomfortable, but Jaiden's said more than once that she's been there before. And if it helped her to come to terms with…her past, then it could again." Chloe pressed. She could see the gears turning in Beca's face as she weighed the pros and cons. Was the cost of opening up and talking about her demons worth the potential idea that she could deal with them?

"I'll talk to her about it in the morning." Beca said finally. The weight of the statement was heavy, and the brunette knew she was probably in for an argument the next day. "I'm going to bed." She sighed. The girl hobbled over to the bed and began to strip. Chloe couldn't help but watch her; taking in her slow, pained movements and the cuts and bruises that marred her smooth skin. A rough abrasion damaged the shoulder tattoo that Chloe loved, and she bit the inside of her cheek when Beca turned towards her dresser.

"Do you need some help, babe?" Chloe asked. She took a few steps towards Beca before the girl responded defensively.

"No."

"Beca, don't." The older one chastised gently. She closed the distance between the two of them as Beca tried desperately to hide how sore she was. Lounging on the couch all day had left her muscles stiff and her injuries swollen and painful. Beca handed the t-shirt she had been attempting to put on over to Chloe in mute defeat and slowly limped around to face her. Her dark eyes met Chloe's light ones, and just like always, it was impossible to stay angry with the older girl. All she could see in their blue hues was adoration and concern.

"Let's not do a t-shirt." Chloe tossed the garment aside and exchanged it for a button up flannel from their closet. She figured it would be easier than having Beca lift her arms over her head, and the brunette seemed to get the shirt over her bare torso with little trouble. "Do you want shorts?"

"No. Can we just sleep?" Beca's voice was calmer and Chloe read the apology in her eyes. The older of the two nodded at once, and she hurried to turn out the lights. By the time she got back to the bed, Beca was already under the blankets, curled up in the most comfortable position she could manage. Chloe slid in next to her as lightly and slowly as she could, terrified to jostle Beca's frame too much. By the time she settled, Beca couldn't restrain herself anymore.

"You can touch me, Chloe. I'm not going to break." She mumbled irritably. Being babied was something Beca was _not _fond of, and having Chloe tip-toe around her was both aggravating and weakening.

"I-I know. I just don't want to hit one of your bruises or something-"

"I'm trying to tell you I want you to hold me." Beca rolled over with a grunt of effort and locked eyes with Chloe. Taken back by the blunt honesty of the rare request, it took her a few seconds to react and wrap her arm carefully around Beca's waist.

"Is that good?" She questioned softly.

"Yeah." Beca sighed contently. Chloe felt her girlfriend's forehead rest against her chest and held her just a little bit tighter, glad for their first real case of physical contact since the hospital. It had been mostly hand holding and a few aiding touches here and there. But this was different and real and affectionate.

"I love you." Chloe reminded her.

"Love you too."

* * *

The next morning, Chloe woke up earlier than her girlfriend, which was nothing unsual. She was careful to unwrap herself from around Beca's still form, wanting her to get some rest. Beca had woken up only two times the night before, but Chloe knew she was still sleep deprived. And from all of the articles she had been reading about anxiety when Beca wasn't looking, she knew that sleep was beneficial.

The apartment was cold in the morning, considering the timed heating system, and Chloe was forced to slip on a sweatshirt before leaving the bedroom. She knew quite well that Jaiden wouldn't be up for a while, which was why she was. The redhead opened their fridge and pulled out the ingredients she needed to make a mean omelet. Chloe's mother had taught her early on that food was the way to a lot of people's hearts. An apology was a lot harder to accept when someone was handing you a plate full of deliciousness.

15 minutes later, Chloe was nervously standing outside the closed guest room door. She balanced the plate and a cup of coffee in one hand, a talent left over from her waitressing days, and knocked lightly. A small shuffling sounded from inside the room and she let herself in just in time to see Jaiden desperately trying to fan smoke out of her open window. No wonder the apartment was especially cold this morning.

"Shit." Jaiden muttered as she sat down, defeated, on the window sill. To her surprise, Chloe didn't so much as glare at her. Instead, she came in, shut the door behind herself, and set a fully made breakfast and mug of coffee down on her desk.

"Stressed out?" Chloe asked. She made herself comfortable on the edge of Jaiden's bed and did her best to ignore the distinct smell of pot that filled the room. It mixed with the scent of autumn that the breeze carried in through the window, and Chloe watched as the younger girl deemed her presence safe and took a hit from the joint she had been hiding behind her back.

"A little. What do you want? Are you here to make sure I didn't sneak away during the night?" Jaiden scoffed. She peered at Chloe, red-eyed, and obviously trying to judge her disposition.

"I actually came to check on you. And apologize. I was harsher than I needed to be last night-"

"Save it, Jaiden interrupted. "You were right. And that's why I'm moving out."

"What? Jaiden, no, that's not what I wanted." Chloe shook her head desperately.

"Really? You want what's best for Beca, right? Well, this is obviously it. I'm not going to cut her off or anything, but maybe she could use a little bit less of me." Jaiden said. She took another hit and Chloe could see how much the realization pained her. This wasn't what she had meant at all. She just wanted Jaiden to step up; to start trying to make progress with Beca again. Not this.

"Jaiden, no, that's not going to help anything." Chloe told her earnestly. "Just hear me out for one second, okay." The redhead stood up and went to sit beside her at the window. "I think…I think that you and Beca should go to therapy to help you deal with this. Both of you. I've already talked to her about it, and she's just…unsure. But you know it can help, Jaiden. Do it for her."

"I feel like I just got out of that shit," Jaiden sighed. Smoke drifted out of her mouth and nose after her last hit and she felt the effects almost immediately. Her head swam and her limbs tingled, and she couldn't help but shake every now and then. She had gotten her own hookup last week, tired of using Beca's stash, and his medicinal grade was potent, to say the least. "And here I am, in college, about to go right back into it."

"So you'll go?" Chloe asked tentatively. She wasn't prepared for Jaiden to turn to her so violently.

"Do you know how hard it is to sit across from a complete stranger and talk about the things that give you nightmares? The very _real _things that you'd never say to anyone else. Do you know how awful it is to try anti-depressant after anti-depressant and fuck up the chemistry in your brain until you find something that lets you sleep at night?" She demanded. Chloe was at a loss for words, not having expected that out of the very stoned girl, and remained silent for a few seconds.

"I don't. I just…I want to help you. Both of you, and I don't know how. Maybe someone else can." Chloe's voice cracked, and if she was being honest with herself, she felt utterly useless.

"Maybe. I mean, I'll go. But I still think it's a good idea for me to move out." Almost instantly, Jaiden shrugged and went back to being indifferent. The girl turned around and faced out the open window again, filling her lungs with smoke again once more.

"I don't. I think you're just distancing yourself because you think you're getting close to Beca again, and that scares you. You're scared it won't last, or things will get worse, or you'll hurt her." Chloe told her. Her voice wasn't unkind; in fact, it was immensely gentle and in a word, sincere. Jaiden glanced over at her, accepting the slight accusation, and nodded after a few seconds.

"Maybe it won't though. Maybe things will get worse, and it'll be even harder than before." The 18 year old pointed out.

"But if there's the possibility for things to get better, wouldn't you want that? Even if you have to work for it?" Chloe said.

"I guess.." Jaiden's voice trailed off and she was lost in the twisting train of thought that was chugging its way through her mind. Taking her cue to leave, Chloe stood up and then faltered before she could move too far towards the door.

"You know I love you right?" The redhead reminded her softly. Jaiden looked away from the breezy morning outside and met her vibrant eyes.

"I know."

* * *

Stacie hated her Calc class. Not because of the subject, which she actually found only slightly challenging, but because of her dinosaur of a professor. Listening to a man that old drone on and on about mathematics could only hold her attention for so long, and she knew she could be done with the lessons in half the time he took. Nevertheless, she sat through them as patiently as she could.

When the class finally ended, and she was on her way back to the dorms, Stacie was more than grateful to be free for the weekend. Her steps quickened as she neared the building, thinking about her bed and a nice bottle of beer. Or maybe, just maybe, she'd call Jaiden and see if the younger girl wanted to come over. She had seen the look in her eye when she had found out Stacie really had cheated. And she knew that Jaiden would be crushed. Hell, she was crushed when she had woken up in that boy's bed. Her fingertips on her skin had made her sick when he had woken up and tried to get round two in the morning. Stacie's jaw clenched shut at the thought of it, and she was about to relive what had happened that night when she came upon Jaiden. The 18 year old was sitting on the floor outside her door with a bouquet of roses in one hand and a six pack in the other. She smiled up at Stacie, especially at the surprised look on her face, and struggled to get to her feet. Stacie caught her by the shoulders when she faltered and the Jaiden shook out of her grip reassuringly.

"I'm good. Just a little sore. Also, surprise." She grinned. Jaiden held out the flowers and then waited patiently for Stacie to open the door. The older girl took her cue and unlocked it quickly, still in a bit of a shock from Jaiden's sudden appearance.

"So, what's all this about?" Stacie asked. Jaiden shrugged, setting the beer down on the nightstand. She turned around to face the older girl and watched as Stacie found a mason jar still half filled with water to put the flowers in.

"I don't know. I just wanted to do something nice for you after…everything." Jaiden told her truthfully. Stacie's face reddened at the vague term she had chosen, but the gesture made her blush just the same.

"You didn't have to do that."

"Yeah, I did." Jaiden replied bluntly. "You got any plans tonight?"

"None that don't involve you." Stacie winked. The bit of tension that had rested between them dissipated as she crossed the room and pressed a chaste kiss to Jaiden's lips. The two collapsed on the bed together and Jaiden found herself tensing when Stacie her hands across her hip bones. The tiny action didn't go unnoticed by the other girl, and she pulled back in concern.

"Did I hurt you?" She asked anxiously.

"No, no, it's not that." Jaiden replied quickly. She forced a small smile, not wanting Stacie to worry for the wrong reason, and shifted uncomfortably under her.

"Then what?" Jaiden didn't reply right away, and the longer she was quiet, the more Stacie's stomach began to twist.

"I just…can we not have sex for a while? After we broke up and…you know, what happened, I just…I'm not super comfortable with it right now." Jaiden's voice was quiet, almost ashamed, and she averted her eyes. She was a little more than scared of disappointing Stacie, and when the older girl cupped the side of her face, relief flooded through her system.

"It's okay. We can wait, as long as you need." She assured her. "I love you."

_**Feedback/suggestions/reviews are really welcome**_


	46. Chapter 46

When Jaiden left Stacie's apartment that night, she didn't feel right. She didn't feel right at all. And she knew what was coming, and the thing that bothered her the most was that she knew she couldn't prevent it. As Jaiden got into her car and drove home, her stomach twisted into a knot at the familiarity of the street names. The thought of leaving again, of finding someplace knew, pulled at her brain, but she pushed it aside desperately. _No more running, _she told herself firmly. She couldn't break her promises again. With stiff hands, she drove back to the apartment complex and parked out front, in between Beca and Chloe's cars. Jaiden forced herself into the building and up to their floor. Her feet drug across the thin carpet and she didn't bother to shut the door softly behind herself after she had entered. The mild slam roused both Chloe and Beca, who were lounging on the couch together. The two girls exchanged glances and sat up enough to watch Jaiden shuffle into the kitchen, grab the half empty bottle of whiskey out of the top cabinet. The 18 year old didn't so much as spare them a passing glance as she retreated into her bedroom. The door was left slightly ajar and Jaiden knew what Chloe was going to say before she even opened her mouth.

"You should go in and check on her. Maybe she and Stacie had a fight or something."

"And maybe she just wants to be alone." Beca argued.

"Beca," Chloe chastised. "She's 18. She shouldn't be drinking when she gets upset."

"This is college, babe. That's kind of what everyone does."

"If you aren't going to check on her, I will. And that's probably the last thing she wants-"

"_Fine_," Beca sighed. Ignoring the pain that wracked her body, the brunette got to her feet and limped begrudgingly towards the open door. She ignored her instinct to knock, and slipped into the bedroom. Jaiden shot a passing glance at her from her position at her desk, where the bottle of whiskey sat next to an open notebook.

"You okay?" The older girl asked quietly.

"Beca, you know I have depression, right?" Jaiden deadpanned. Beca blinked in surprise, but nodded.

"I've guessed." She admitted.

"I can't…I can't do much about it. So if tomorrow, or the next few days, or weeks or whatever, I'm just…distant, don't get mad. It's not you." Jaiden muttered.

"Okay. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No. Not really. It just comes and goes," Jaiden sighed. "If Stacie comes around tomorrow, can you just…you know?"

"Yeah, I'll talk to her," Beca put her hand on Jaiden's shoulder reassuringly and squeezed it.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem. I love you. Goodnight." With that, Beca turned around and let herself out of the dimly lit room. When she returned to Chloe in the living room, she had made up her mind. "Come on, get up. We're going on a road trip."

"Beca, its 11:00. What on earth are you talking about?" The redhead questioned.

"We're going to get the rest of her things out of her room and cutting the rest of her ties with that God-awful house. She needs help moving past this." Beca replied definitely. The tiny girl pulled Chloe off of the couch and towards the door, ignoring the ache in her ankle.

"Is she okay though?"

"Yeah. It's just…it's just her depression. She said I can't help, but this'll have to do something." Beca explained. Chloe's reluctance softened and she grabbed her keys off of the hook by the door. Beca struggled to pull on her shoes while her girlfriend waited patiently.

"You're a good sister, Becs." Chloe told her. The brunette blushed slightly, a bit grateful that her bruises hid the reddening of her cheeks, and opened the door. The two women made their way down to the bottom floor slowly; Chloe walking patiently beside Beca and matching her pace to her's so that she didn't feel rushed. "I'll drive," she offered when they had made it to the car.

"Thanks," Beca said. She climbed gingerly into the passenger's seat, while Chloe rounded the front of the vehicle and got in the other side. As Chloe started the engine and pulled out of the lot, Beca reached for the CD she had snuck into the car the day before. "I put this new mix in here yesterday," she said. Chloe smiled at the small surprise and glanced over at Beca out of the corner of her eye. The brunette pushed the CD into the slot and pressed play. A small whirring sounded from the machine before a soft beat began to play out of the speakers.

"Is this…is that you?" Chloe asked? Beca very rarely put her own vocals into her mixes; she said that it made her feel like she was trying to show off, or make people listen to her.

"Yeah. We were supposed to come up with something original for my production class, so…what do you think?" Beca asked nervously.

"I love it. Beca, this is _really _good." Chloe told her. She used one hand to turn up the volume and felt her heart skip as her girlfriend's voice filled the car. Beca couldn't manage to hide an embarrassed smile and fixed her gaze on the redhead in the driver's seat.

* * *

Jaiden stumbled out of her room and steadied herself on the wall with the hand that wasn't clinging to her whiskey bottle. She had drank more than she had intended, and the note she was trying to write Stacie had quickly turned into an "_I'm so sorry for everything_". Guilt had come creeping back into her mind as the alcohol had filled her bloodstream, and she couldn't believe that she had put the girl through everything. The running, the pushing away, Ted; Stacie's life had no doubt gotten worse since she had entered it.

"Fuck," Jaiden burped. She staggered out into the apartment and looked around blearily. Beca and Chloe were nowhere to be seen, and she made her way to their bedroom as quietly as her drunk motor skills would allow her to. The door was open, and the dark room was empty, much to Jaiden's surprise. A quick glance towards the door showed that both of their boots were gone, as well as Chloe's keys. They had left.

Chloe and Beca leaving without saying anything didn't seem right. Jaiden usually found herself annoyed by the constant updates on where they were going and what they were going to do. Maybe they had just gotten fed up with her shit finally. Chloe had certainly seemed to foreshadow it with their conversation the other day.

"They left," Jaiden muttered to herself. And suddenly, she couldn't be here anymore. She couldn't keep being a toxic presence in the lives of the people she could now admit to herself that she cared about. Jaiden knew that if she left, she would come back. Beca would get upset and freak out, and Jaiden just wasn't disconnected enough anymore to actually cut her off. She had to do something permanent. So, the 18 year old wandered down the hallway and into the bathroom, taking another swig of booze as she went, and grabbed for the medicine cabinet's handle. Her blurry vision took a few seconds to focus on the orange bottle on the top shelf. She grabbed for it clumsily, nearly dropping it, and then made her way back out into the hallway. Jaiden dropped to her knees out on the hardwood floor and swallowed back the wave of nausea she felt. The whiskey on her hand suddenly seemed overpowering and she slid it aside, sick to her stomach.

Jaiden pulled out her phone and just barely managed to pull up Chloe's name in her contacts. A few difficult seconds later, Jaiden pulled up their previous conversation and struggled to begin to type.

_Telll beca im real ly sorry. Dont let her in 1__st__ when u get home_

The brunette pressed send and watched the blue line move across the top of the screen, which was quickly followed by the "delivered" message that appeared below the speech bubble. Letting her phone clatter to the floor, Jaiden turned her attention back to the pills beside her and took a deep breath. She had to do it. There wasn't anything left that she could do. Chloe had been right when she said she needed to try harder, but the thing was; Jaiden didn't have anything left to give. The way Beca looked at her when she caught sight of her sent a pang of sadness through her chest every time.

The childproof cap took nearly an entire minute to pull off, but eventually Jaiden sat with a pile of small, blue pills in her hands. She stared down at the small ovals for several seconds, and then finally managed to nerve to toss them back. The wasted teenager grabbed for the bottle she had pushed aside earlier and quickly managed to wash them down with a drink of whiskey. Despite the churning in her stomach, Jaiden downed the remaining pills and forced herself to swallow another mouthful of booze in order to get them down. Jaiden let the now empty medication bottle roll away from her and leaned back against the nearest wall to wait it out.

_**Well. Let me know what you'd like to see happen. I'll probably be wrapping this up after a few more chapters. Thanks for reading!**_


	47. Chapter 47

Beca roused from the light sleep she had drifted off into about half an hour after Chloe started driving home. The brunette blinked tiredly, a bit confused as to where she was and why she had woken up, until she finally remembered her impromptu quest. A glance to her right identified Chloe's buzzing phone as her impromptu alarm clock.

"Hey sleepyhead. Would you mind checking that for me?" Chloe said, noting that she was awake. Beca yawned, nodding, and reached for the lit-up device. She roused when she saw her sister's name on the screen and hurried to unlock the iPhone. "Who is it?" The other girl asked.

"It's J-" Beca's voice cut off as she scanned the short message she had opened. The words were misspelled, but their meaning was clear. It took Beca a few seconds to find her voice again, and when she did, it came out screaming.

"_No!" _Chloe jumped at the violent outburst. She dared to take her eyes off of the road for a second in order to look at Beca. "We have to get home. Chloe, we have to get to the apartment, you need to drive faster-"

"What's going on? What are you talking about?" Chloe cut her off. Her pulse was rising by the minute, but she followed Beca's rambling and pressed the gas pedal harder. The small car took off down the highway, zipping past the vehicles in the lane beside it. "Give me the phone," Chloe demanded. She took one hand off of the steering wheel and snatched it from her rigid girlfriend, before daring to take her eyes off of the road for a few seconds. The message sent bile into the back of her throat.

"Beca, call 911 and give them our address." She said gravely. The redhead handed her the iPhone back and continued driving; her speed increasing every second. She spared another glance over towards Beca, just to make sure she was capable of following her instructions, and trained her eyes back out the windshield when she saw that Beca had lifted the phone to her ear with a shaky hand. Before she knew it, she felt hot tears streaming down her face. Determined to be strong for Beca, she wiped them away as her girlfriend started stammering to the operator on the phone.

"I need an ambulance t-to 922 Freeport Street, suite 405. I think my s-sister tried to…to kill herself." Beca whimpered. "I don't know how! Just get someone there!" She yelled into the microphone a few seconds later. The nearly hysterical brunette hung up and slammed the phone down onto the car floor. "Chloe, you have to go faster."

"I'm doing the best I can without killing us, Beca." The older girl snapped back. They whipped between other vehicles at a terrifying speed, racing towards the exit they needed to get into Barden. When the green sign finally appeared, Chloe screeched on the breaks and practically slid into the lane to their right. Beca gripped her seat as they went flying down the road; narrowly missing a deer that had found its way onto the pavement.

"What do we do when we get there? What if the ambulance isn't there first? What if she's d-"

"Don't say it," Chloe cut her off before the word "dead" could slip out of her mouth. She could not watch Beca lose Jaiden like she had lost her brother. That was a pain that she simply could not live through again.

"Why would she do this? What could have happened?"

"She got _drunk_, Beca. I told you that you couldn't let her do this." The statement came out more accusing than Chloe had planned it, and the girl in the passenger's seat tensed visibly.

"So, this is my fault?" She muttered.

"No, no, Beca, that's not what I meant. This is what depression does. I just meant that the alcohol probably made her stupid enough to do this." Chloe clarified. The last thing she needed was for Beca to start blaming herself.

"I should have stopped her. We should have stayed home."

"Beca! You can't do this right now. Just…just be quiet until we get there. Five more minutes." Chloe said. She took a sharp right onto Barden's Main Street, narrowly avoiding a few parked cars, and began to think about the game plan if they got there before the ambulance. The message's plea of not letting Beca was honestly a good idea, considering what they could potentially find. Her pulse began to race and she gripped the steering wheel tightly as they pulled onto their street. Chloe yanked into the first spot in front of the apartment complex that she could find, and before she could stop Beca, the brunette was out of the car and sprinting into the building as fast as her injured ankle would let her.

"Beca!" Chloe called, running after her. The pursuit lead up the stairs, onto their floor, and Chloe found her girlfriend struggling to get her key into the lock. The redhead was about to offer to help when Beca finally managed it and shoved her way into the apartment.

"_No!" _Beca's voice sent chills through Chloe's body and the older girl braced herself as she stepped through the door. Beca hadn't even bothered to hit the lights, but Chloe could still see her knelt by Jaiden's crumpled figure in the hallway. Light flooded the apartment as Chloe ran to their side and did her best to put aside her feelings and assess the situation.

"Jaiden? Come on, please wake up. Wake up!" Beca whimpered. Her small hands shook the younger girl's limp body and tears streamed down her face. Chloe moved her aside, knowing Beca was too hysterical to help at this point, and rolled Jaiden onto her side.

"What are you doing?" Beca sobbed.

"She overdosed," Chloe answered, looking over towards the empty orange bottle on the floor. "We have to make her throw up." With that, Chloe shoved her two fingers into Jaiden's mouth and bit her lip as she felt the teenager gag. She forced herself to keep at it, and used her other arm to lift Jaiden's torso up slightly. A sickening sound came from the 18 year old's mouth and Chloe yanked her hand out just in time to avoid a stream of vomit, dotted with half-digested blue tablets. Jaiden coughed weakly, and then fell limp again, with Beca watching in horror all the while.

"Becs? Can you go and get a bottle of water from the kitchen?" Chloe lightened her voice, hoping it would encourage her girlfriend not to completely break down. To her relief, the brunette got up and hurried back down the hall. She returned mere seconds later with a plastic bottle from the fridge, and handed it to Chloe carefully. The older girl had been taking Jaiden's pulse; wincing at how slow it seemed.

"Thanks. Can you try talking to her? I'm going to sit her up and see if she's responsive." Chloe said. She took Jaiden by the shoulders and sat her up against the wall. Beca moved to sit beside her, tears streaming down her face at the look of her younger sister. Jaiden's face was pale and her chin rested against her chest before Chloe took it gently and lifted. She pressed the bottle to her lips, and to her satisfaction, Jaiden stirred just enough to allow some of the water to trickle into her mouth.

"Beca?" Chloe prompted.

"Right, yeah, sorry," Beca sniffled. "Jay? C-can you hear me?"

"Mmm," Jaiden's response was practically inaudible, but her eyes fluttered enough to show that it had in fact been a weak reply.

"I need you to hang on, okay? You promised you weren't leaving, and this is leaving. I need you here," Beca's voice hitched in her throat. "Please, stay."

"Beca," Jaiden mumbled. Bleary eyes opened and focused unsteadily on Beca, who nodded in affirmation. Chloe watched, holding the bottle of water, as Beca pushed her hair back out of her face and stifled another sob.

"I'm right here," Beca assured her. Just then, the sound of sirens made their way through the windows in the living room and Chloe got up to go open the door. Without her support, Jaiden started to fall over again and Beca hurried to grab her. The 18 year old fell into her lap and Beca could hardly stand to look down at her. The girl who was normally so strong and determined seemed even weaker now than when she had gotten shot. Just then, she tensed in Beca's lap and the older girl watched in mute horror as her eyes rolled back into her head slightly and began making a choking sound. A small trickle of vomit made its way out of her mouth and Beca hurried to roll her over enough to keep her from drowning in it.

"Jaiden, please, stay with me. You can't go." Beca begged her. The sound of footsteps down the hall still seemed too far away, and she placed her fingers against Jaiden's neck in a desperate attempt to find her pulse.

She found nothing.

_**Reviews/requests welcome**_


	48. Chapter 48

"Chloe!" Beca nearly screamed. She looked up, still cradling her sister, as the redhead rounded the corner, followed by two paramedics and a stretcher.

"We'll take it from here, ma'am." One of them said. Chloe pulled Beca away from her sister, much to her dismay, and she watched in terror as Jaiden was laid on her back. The two men set to work, giving each other orders that neither girl could understand, and Beca winced as a huge needle was stuck into Jaiden's arm.

"Push another of Naloxone," The first man, murmured. He was listening intently to Jaiden's heart through a stethoscope. From the look on his face, there was reason for concern, and he shook his head slightly at his partner.

"Please, you have to save her!" Beca blurted out. Chloe had an arm wrapped around her chest in a protective restraint, and the brunette pulled against it slightly. If the men heard her, they didn't respond. Instead, they loaded her onto the stretcher and strapped her in.

"If one of you wants to ride along, get moving." The taller of the two paramedics grunted. Beca and Chloe exchanged a look and the redhead nodded at her slightly. The brunette scrambled to her feet and followed them out of the apartment. Her ankle flared up in pain as she struggled to keep up, and the two men paid no mind to her as they began loading Jaiden onto the waiting gurney and then into the back of the ambulance. Beca just barely managed to lift herself into the vehicle before the engine revved and one of the paramedics shut the doors behind her. She sat down on the small bench just in time to avoid falling when the large vehicle took off.

"Pulse is steadying out," The tall one noted. Beca felt the knot in her stomach loosen just a little, and she wanted nothing more than to be able to hold the younger girl's hand. But the two men were still working tirelessly and she forced herself to sit back and take it all in. Jaiden was still pale, and her eyes remained shut, but the heart monitor she had just been hooked up to showed a steady heartbeat.

"Radio to the ER that she's going to need charcoal when we get there. No telling how much is left in her stomach." The shorter one said.

"Is…is she going to be okay?" Beca asked hesitantly. One of the paramedics looked up briefly.

"No promises, but it seems like we're in the clear. You need to prepare yourself for when she wakes up, though. I've seen a lot of overdoses, but the purposeful ones are the hardest to move past." He informed her solemnly. Beca nodded, absorbing the information, and gripped the bench as the ambulance took a hard left. When she turned her attention back to Jaiden, the teenager was looking at her through half opened eyes. Beca sat, frozen, as her younger sister used the arm that didn't have an IV in it to pull her oxygen mask down.

"Beca," She croaked. The brunette finally moved forward and took her hand tightly, and the paramedics paused when they realized that she was awake.

"I'm here. I'm right here." Beca replied softly.

"You weren't supposed to-"

"Jay, don't," Beca shook her head and squeezed her hand tighter. The younger girl fell silent and a few seconds later, her eyelids fluttered shut again.

The rest of the ride to the hospital was much calmer, and the paramedics monitored her vitals carefully the whole time. By the time they got there, Chloe had sent a text that she had swung by campus and informed Stacie, and the two of them were on the way. The redhead had hinted that the other girl was _not _handling it well, and Beca knew she was going to have to brace herself for the waiting room when they got there.

"You're going to have to stay in the waiting room while the doctors detox her. One of the nurses will update you once she's completely stable." The tall paramedic said as he opened the door. Beca nodded in understanding and waited until they had lowered Jaiden's gurney to the ground before hopping down. She followed the small party through the ER entrance and watched as a team of doctors and nurses took her sister into one of the back rooms.

"Take a seat, sweetie. They'll be out when they can." The nurse behind the desk spoke up as she took in Beca's disheveled appearance. The tiny brunette nodded slightly and took one of the many open seats in the barren waiting room. It was well past 2 am, and for the first time she felt her fatigue from the night's events. The trip home hadn't gone quite as smoothly as she had anticipated, considering her mother had woken up when they had got there. And though Beca had promised herself she'd contain the immense anger she felt towards the older woman, she hadn't.

"_Rebecca? What are you doing here?" Beca whirled around at the surprising voice and her heart dropped at the familiarity of it. The small brunette clenched her fists at the sight of her disheveled mother. She could smell the booze before the woman was even halfway through the doorway into the basement. _

"_Getting the rest of Jay's stuff." She mumbled. _

"_Is she here?" _

"_No. Why would I bring her somewhere she wouldn't be safe?" Beca's voice was laced with hostility as she glared at the woman coldly. Her mother fell silent, watching as her eldest daughter resumed shoving Jaiden's belongings into a large duffel bag. The basement looked almost as barren as when they had moved in._

"_Where's your girlfriend?" The older woman spoke up less than a minute later._

"_In the car. Why don't you just go upstairs and pass out on the couch. That seems to be all you and him were good for." Beca replied. Her mother gripped the bottle in her hand tightly, and she squinted at her daughter._

"_You've always been disrespectful."_

"_And you've always been a God awful mother, so it's really no wonder I don't respect you. You couldn't even come see her after she almost _died _because of him! And you didn't come the last time either. So, what kind of mother are you?" Beca lashed out furiously._

"_Get out," The middle aged woman ordered. Beca zipped up the bag and slung it over her shoulder angrily. She brushed past her mother and paused for a few seconds at the bottom of the stairs before turning around again._

"_Don't ever come near us again. Because I swear to God if you do, you'll be worse off than him," Her voice shook with the deadly intent of the threat. "Have a good fucking life, _Mom."

"We need to see Jaiden Mitchell!" Stacie's voice drug Beca out of her flashback and she looked up to see the very hysterical tall brunette at the nurse's station. Chloe appeared seconds later and she took Stacie by the arm before looking around, obviously searching for Beca. She stood up and went to them tiredly.

"They're flushing the rest of the drugs out of her system." She informed them. Stacie looked down at her through tearful eyes and Beca could see that she was struggling to accept what had happened.

"So…so she's alive?" Beca nodded in confirmation and led the two girls into the empty waiting room.

"Why would she do this? She showed up at my dorm with flowers and we spent all day together." Stacie ran her fingers back through her hair as she sat down and then rested her head in her hands.

"I don't know," Chloe admitted. "Maybe everything that happened finally caught up to her." The redhead didn't believe a word that she was saying; this was her fault. She had been too hard on her and Jaiden had cracked. Beca would never be able to forgive her once she realized it.

"Are you ladies here for a Ms. Mitchell?" A soft spoken doctor interrupted the sad silence that had followed Chloe's statement, and all three girls looked up anxiously.

"I'm her sister," Beca stood up, trying to read the man's face desperately. To her relief, he smiled at her calmly and took a seat; prompting her to sit back down as well. Chloe reached over and took her hand, running her thumb over the back of it gently.

"Jaiden has been stabilized and is currently under a light sedative. When she wakes up, she'll be evaluated by our head psychiatrist and then placed under a 72 hour watch. We take suicide attempts very seriously here, and it's important to us to make sure your sister gets the best care possible. After being discharged, it's going to be mandatory for her to attend outpatient therapy every week, as well as joining the hospital's group therapy session. It's an important part of her recovery. We also offer therapy sessions for family members affected by suicide attempts," he paused long enough to hand Beca an informational pamphlet.

"When can we see her?" Beca asked anxiously. The doctor sighed.

"Typically, protocol keeps us from allowing any visitors before the initial exam, but your sister was asking for you profusely. That's part of the reason we sedated her. So, even though my attending is going to rip my head off, follow me. I can only take you, though." His voice lowered and Beca glanced regretfully at Chloe. The redhead nodded in understanding, knowing that she'd be more useful staying with Stacie, and released her hold on Beca's hand. Jaiden's doctor stood and Beca followed his lead, through the front lobby and into a waiting elevator. When they were alone inside, the doctor flipped through the chart in his hand and sighed.

"From these medical records, it seems that the two of you have been through a lot. It's likely…it's likely that Jaiden has some sort of repressed PTSD. Though the therapy may help her, she's going to be depending a lot on a support system at home. You two live together?" Beca nodded her head to confirm and waited for him to go on. "Then I'm really going to recommend you attending a few sessions, even if it's just to learn how to help her cope."

"Okay, of course. I'll do anything. I just want her to be okay." Beca agreed sincerely. The elevator doors dinged and a few seconds later, they opened to reveal the psychiatric unit. The doctor led her out into the hall and they passed locked door after locked door. The ward was quiet, considering how late it was, and Beca felt a lump form in her throat as they stopped in front of a door. The man beside her opened it and led her inside slowly.

"I'll leave you two alone for a bit." He excused himself softly and slipped out of the room behind her. As the door shut, Jaiden roused from her stupor and glazed eyes met Beca's slowly.

"Hey," the older girl croaked out. She moved forward and took the seat beside the bed; a position that was becoming far too familiar.

"Beca?" Jaiden's voice was incredibly weak and Beca's bottom lip trembled when she took in her sister's appearance. The 18 year old was pale, obviously drugged, and looked thinner than usual. The fluorescent light above the bed cast an almost grey tone over her skin, and Beca was almost afraid to touch her for a few seconds.

"I'm right here." Beca assured her. "Why?" The question came out before she could stop it.

"I…I just couldn't do this anymore. I don't know how to fix things with you, or Chloe, or anything. I'm sorry." Jaiden murmured. Beca's heart broke at the explanation and she choked back tears.

"You can't do this, okay? You scared us to death and…I need you here. You promised you weren't going to leave."

"Beca, I'm sorry-"

"Don't; you don't have to say that. Just promise me that you're going to get better." Beca cut her off.

"I promise to try." Jaiden said after a few seconds. Her sister nodded, knowing it was going to be all she could get for now, and stood up.

"Okay. Give me a hug." Beca leaned over the bed and wrapped her arm around Jaiden tightly; feeling the 18 year old relax slightly in her arms. "I love you, Jaiden."

_**So she survived! Let me know if you guys are interested in seeing a recovery sequel, or anything else you'd want to request. If not, I'll probably write up a "going home" chapter next and end it there! Thanks for reading!**_


	49. Chapter 49

Beca stayed by Jaiden's bed as long as her doctor would allow, and when the man finally came to take her away, the small brunette all but had to tear herself away from the younger girl. Though she knew Jaiden would be safe in the hospital, her anxiety levels spiked the further away they walked. Beca's mind whirred as she tried to piece together what Jaiden could have told herself in order to justify swallowing all of those pills.

"During the 72 watch, only family will be admitted into the room. After that, as long as she's stable enough, your sister can be discharged and taken home. Beca," He lowered his voice as they entered the elevator and found two nurses inside. "It's extremely important that you enforce and support Jaiden attending her therapy sessions. I'm also going to prescribe a new anti-depressant, which she needs to take consistently."

"Of course, yeah." Beca nodded in serious understanding.

"I see Jaiden is listed under her biological father's insurance. Would you like one of our nurse's to update him on what happened-"

"No. They…they don't have a good relationship and I don't think now is the time to fix that." Beca said. The dark haired man nodded and checked something off on his charts.

"Alright then. Well, you can come back up after her initial exam, as long as that goes well. And after visiting hours, I'm going to recommend that you go home tomorrow. There's going to be no use just sitting around this place, and I'm sure what happened has taken its toll on you as well." He advised.

"I'm not sure that leaving her alone here is a good idea," Beca replied anxiously.

"I can assure you that she won't have a lot of alone time," the doctor chuckled dryly. "But, I'm serious about going home Beca. You can't be much help if you're on edge and exhausted." Beca had no choice but to relent as the elevator doors opened. She had barely stepped out when Chloe and Stacie stood up and stared at her with scared, expectant eyes.

"Go update your friends and tell them they can go home. You can come back anytime between 9 and 6 tomorrow." He told her kindly. With a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder, he walked over to the nurse's station and exchanged the chart in his hands for a new one.

"Beca?" Beca tore her eyes away from the man clad in scrubs at the sound of Stacie's voice. She turned to find the taller girl wringing her hands and staring at her nervously.

"She's..she's going to be okay. They're going to keep her under watch for three days and then mandate a lot of therapy. They're only going to let family up to see her as long as she's in psych, so you guys can go home. Her doctor wants us to get some sleep too." Beca winced as she saw both Chloe and Stacie's faces fall when they realized that they wouldn't be allowed into Jaiden's room. Stacie sputtered for one minute, trying to come up with something to say that would let her see her girlfriend. Coming up with nothing, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and fell silent.

"Come on then. We could all use some sleep." Chloe tugged at Stacie's arm and began towards the emergency room entrance tiredly. Beca trailed behind them, fighting her own emotional and physical fatigue as she walked, and nearly dozed off on the walk to the car. Stacie crawled into the backseat, despite the limited leg room, and rested her head against the window. The expression on her face gave way to the troubled train of thought that was making its way through her mind.

"How'd she seem?" Chloe spoke up as she ignited the engine and pulled out of the parking space. Beca turned towards her, exhausted, and shrugged.

"She was a little out of it. I don't…I don't even know. She kind of seemed like she was disappointed that it didn't work," Beca's voice cracked at the admission and she bit back the new threat of tears. "But she said that she was sorry."

"I think this was my fault," Chloe said suddenly. Beca watched her hands grip the steering wheel tighter and tried to process the weight of the admission.

"What do you-"

"I set her off when I told her she needed to step up for you. I just…she got so upset and now I can't stop believing that what I said triggered this." Beca didn't reply, sending a bolt of fear through Chloe's chest. "Beca?" She asked cautiously.

"You may have set her off, but there was a lot more behind it." Beca said finally. Her voice had a hint of gruffness to it, no doubt brought on by her lack of sleep and the stress she had just endured. The small brunette willed herself to tone it down before she spoke again. "Whatever it was doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that we're all here to help her recover and never allow her to do something like this again."

"What can I do?" Stacie spoke up from the backseat and her words were laced with desperation. Beca's eyes flickered into the rearview mirror and she made eye contact with the other woman briefly.

"You know she's going to try to push you away, Stacie. Don't let her." Beca said. Too tired to offer anything else, Beca leaned her seat back and focused on trying to keep her eyes open on the short ride home.

* * *

"Beca? Baby, we're home." Beca lurched up in her seat and stared around in confusion for a few brief seconds. Her attempts to stay awake had obviously not gone well, and she had drifted off 15 minutes before they had dropped Stacie off at the dorms.

"Sorry," Beca mumbled. Her clumsy fingers struggled to unbuckle her seatbelt and she suppressed a yawn once she had finally made it out of the car. Chloe was waiting for her on the sidewalk and the couple made their way up to their apartment silently; both of them too tired to even try to speak. Chloe simply laced her fingers through Beca's and held her hand as they walked into the apartment.

"I'm getting rid of all of our booze." The redhead muttered as soon as her eyes locked on the discarded whiskey bottle in the hallway. Beca watched as she picked it up and dropped it into the kitchen trashcan. Chloe reached up into the liquor cabinet and pulled out the half-filled alcohol bottles. The sound of liquid draining filled the dark apartment as she dumped their contents into the sink.

"Thank you," Beca said. A loud clang sounded as Chloe dumped the empty bottles into the trash and stepped back into the hallway. The two girls walked into their bedroom and practically collapsed onto the mattress; exhausted.

* * *

The next three days were agony for Stacie. Her mind hardly ever drifted from Jaiden and the time she spent in her classes was entirely wasted due to her lack of attention. Word had spread to the other Bellas, and they all offered their sympathies and tried to hide their shock. She appreciated Beca's attempts to relief some of the stress, but her vague updates made Stacie feel even further from Jaiden.

On the day of her discharge, Stacie headed over to the apartment around Jaiden's ETA; practically shaking. Her nerves were shot from waiting to see the younger girl, and she gripped at the sleeves of her oversized sweater subconsciously. Her heart raced every time she heard footsteps out in the hallway, and when she heard the doorknob turning, she almost pinned it up to being a figment of her imagination. After the brief moment of doubt, Stacie raced out into the front area of the apartment and braced herself as the door opened.

After a few tense seconds, Jaiden bolted forward and through her arms around Stacie. Three days of smelling nothing but anti-septic made the familiar smell of Stacie's perfume all the more comforting. She buried her face into the soft fabric of Stacie's sweater and hugged the older girl as hard as she possibly could.

"I love you," Stacie whispered. She could feel Jaiden's hands clinging to her back and held the small girl against her. "And I need you here with me. I need you here, Jaiden. I've never loved anyone the way I love you."

"I'm sorry," Jaiden replied softly. She remained in her girlfriend's embrace a while longer, relishing in the feeling of warmth after three long days in that frigid hospital. Even in her sweatpants and hoodie, she had remained chilly from the cold autumn air. She pulled back from Stacie slightly, but slid her hands down to hold her's.

"Do you want something to eat?" Chloe piped up from behind them. She and Beca had watched the entire exchange from the doorway, and the redhead had been practically buzzing with anxiety since they had left for the hospital. Despite Beca's reassurances, Chloe couldn't help but find herself at fault for what had happened with Jaiden. The 18 year old turned around to look at her, a bit surprised from the sudden offer, before shaking her head slightly.

"I think I'm just going to take a nap. Hospitals aren't really great for sleeping," Jaiden admitted. She looked at Stacie briefly, and the two of them walked into the living room together. Stacie laid down first and sighed comfortably as Jaiden filled the space beside her. The older girl pulled the soft blanket off of the back of the couch and across them both. Her arm wrapped around Jaiden's waist, promising both protection and affection as they tightened around the smaller of the two. Jaiden was just about to let her eyes flutter shut when she saw Beca sit in the chair across from them through her horizontal vision.

"Look, Jay, I know you're tired, but we need to go over some rules, okay?" The brunette said hesitantly. Chloe came to stand behind her; the only reason she had forced herself to bring up the terms they had come up with the previous night. Jaiden's eyes widened and she frowned in confusion.

"Rules?"

"We just want to keep you safe," Chloe spoke up. Jaiden's eyes met her's briefly and Chloe couldn't help but tense when they did. She still had no idea how the teenager felt about her, and it was hard to tell if the distance she felt between them was real or just an effect of her paranoia. Either way, Jaiden didn't reply as she turned her gaze back to her sister.

"Okay, um, the first one is that you can't lock doors anymore," Beca paused, almost as if she expected an argument. When Jaiden didn't respond, she went on. "You also have to let Chloe and I know where you're going when you leave this apartment. And no parties for a while; actually, no drinking at all."

"Or smoking," Chloe added. Once again, Jaiden looked towards her and then back at her sister.

"So, basically I'm just supposed to sit around the apartment, sober?" Jaiden deadpanned. Beca and Chloe exchanged a nervous glance.

"No. You can still go places, you just have to let us know-"

"Fine, okay, whatever." Jaiden interrupted. Her fatigue was practically clawing at her eyelids and the comforting warmth that radiated from Stacie was all but lulling her to sleep. Sensing her exhaustion, Beca stood up and pulled Chloe along.

"Okay then. Get some sleep. I love you," Beca told her.

"I love you too." Jaiden mumbled. With that, she tugged the blanket around herself tighter and succumbed to the heaviness in her eyelids.

_**That's a wrap. Not too sure about the sequel yet, but I'd certainly like to pick it up someday. Let me know what you've thought of the story and what you'd like to see, should I continue. Thanks so much for the support!**_


	50. Chapter 50

_**I've decided to just keep posting in this story because there's really no need to separate into another sequel. Also trying something new: the first part of this in from jaiden's point of view**_

By the time I wake up, it's dark in the apartment and I can feel Stacie's warm breath against my neck. Every two seconds or so, she exhales steadily and the rhythm is comfortingly calm. Afraid to wake her up, I roll over in her arms as slowly as I can and turn so that we're face to face. Stacie stirs a bit, but her eyes stay shut and she falls still after a few seconds. Even though she's sound asleep, I can still see the stress of the past few days in her features. The slightly furrowed brow and the tiny pout in her bottom lip show are enough to give it away. The realization comes with a small pang of guilt, but I don't feel much else other than the burning in my stomach.

The past few days were mostly filled with vomit, mild interrogations that were labeled as "interviews", and IV bags filled with fluids. Those tiny blue tablets I had swallowed completely destroyed the lining of my stomach, and my doctor had warned me that I was going to have a difficult few weeks as it rebuilt itself. In one swift movement, I stand up and dart to the bathroom. The back of my throat stings as I dropped to my knees in front of the toilet and throw up a stream of bile. Over the string of dry heaves that follow, I can hear quiet footsteps behind me.

"Hey, you okay?" It's surprisingly Chloe who kneels down beside me and I can't help but tense a bit when she puts a hand on my back. I know she must hate me for what I did to Beca, especially after she told me to do better. It wouldn't surprise me if they had already been fighting because of it, and in the back of my mind, I know she's going to tell me to move out soon. She won't do it in front of Beca; that's for sure. It'll be just her and I when she brings it up, which will probably be for the best. The last thing they need is for me to come between them again.

"Fine," I pant out. Getting to my feet, I move over to the sink and turn the faucet on. I put my tilt my head to the side to rinse my mouth out and spit the last of the nauseating taste out.

"Can I get you something? I know you're probably not hungry, but they said to make sure your stomach is empty for too long-"

"Chloe, don't," I cut her off before she can offer anything else and meet her gaze for the first time since I got out. She looks a bit shocked, and maybe hurt, but she removes her hand from my back apologetically.

"Sorry," She mutters. Before I can excuse myself from the situation, Stacie pokes her head through the doorway, suppressing a yawn. She gives me a questioning look and I move towards her reassuringly.

"Are you okay?" She asks worriedly. The concern on her face is enough to cause another flare of guilt, and I try a weak smile.

"Yeah. Sorry I woke you up." I tell her. Glad to be away from Chloe, I walk out into the hall and she follows closely. Her hand finds mine again and we move back towards the main area of the apartment lazily. By the time we get back to the living room, my sister is curled up in one of the two arm chairs with a blanket and her laptop.

"Hey," She greets me. She perks up just a tiny bit, as usual when she first spots me, and I offer the same half smile I gave Stacie. I know that they're all still on edge; it's clear in the way they look at me. They're trying to get inside of my head with everything I say and do and _that's _why I need to be careful. The threat of getting placed in an inpatient facility was mentioned more than once during by 3 days in the hospital, and even the slightest indication of a suicidal thought could send me back. My doctor had made that very clear.

When Stacie and I drop back onto the couch, her arms wrap around my torso and I lean back against her chest comfortably. Since getting discharged, she's been the most soothing thing I've found. Chloe makes me nervous, and Beca's high strung demeanor is tiring to be around, but Stacie is a constant safe place.

"You need to eat, so I made you a, um, dinner," Beca points out the plate on the coffee table as Chloe comes to sit in the other arm chair. Two pieces of toast and a banana are the aforementioned "dinner", but they're bland enough for me to swallow and not half as bad as hospital food.

"Thanks Beca," I lean forward and grab the plate before peeling the banana slowly. Before a tense silence can creep in, my sister leans forward and grabs the remote control off of the table. The dry audience laughter of a sitcom fills the lack of sound and it's easier to relax as I slowly make my way through the piece of fruit. By the time I finish my toast, I'm tired again and I can see by Stacie's expression that she is too.

"Are you going to spend the night?" Tilting my head up, I meet my girlfriend's gaze and she nods immediately. She doesn't quite hide the fact that she's relieved that I asked, and before I know it she has my empty plate and has pulled me to my feet.

"You ready for bed?" She asks. I nod once, grateful she suggested it, and just barely catch myself before we walk out of the living room. Tugging on Stacie's hand, I stop us both and turn back around to look at Beca.

"Goodnight. I love you." Her eyes drift from her laptop up to mine and I can see the subtle surprise in them.

"I love you too. Let me know if you need anything." Beca says. Content, I turn back around and follow Stacie into my room, where my bed waits. Someone-probably Chloe-must have come in and cleaned up the place while I was still admitted, and even my bed is neatly made. Well, it is for a few brief seconds, until Stacie flings back the covers and lies down.

"Come here," She coaxes, patting the space beside her. I take the time to turn off the lights and slip off my sweats before crawling in next to her. She presses against my back and once again, her body heat makes its way over to me. The brunette's hands are soft as they come to rest on my hips and I settle back into her; finally finding a comfortable position.

"Jaiden?" Her voice catches me by surprise and I force my eyes to stay open.

"Yeah?"

"Don't get mad at me for asking," her voice is strung with anxiety and I almost feel bad that she's nervous to ask me anything at all. You're not supposed to be nervous to ask the love of your life anything. "We spent the whole day together before you…you did that and I just need to know if I caused any of it." The question makes my already sore stomach twist and I hope that she doesn't feel the small wince as I clench my eyes shut.

"No. You didn't." I choke out hoarsely. Her arms wrap around my waist tighter and I know she heard the strain in my voice. But, Stacie doesn't say anything; I only feel her nestle against my bare back a little tighter.

"Okay." She mumbles eventually. From the slight slur in her voice, I know that she's close to sleep. So, before I can let my mind run too much, I follow her lead and drift off to sleep.

* * *

"Beca?" Chloe spoke up right after she saw the lights go out down the hall in the guest room. The complete way that Jaiden had just avoided looking at her left a dull ache in her chest.

"Hmm?" The brunette grunted.

"I think she hates me." Chloe admitted. The seriousness of her statement broke Beca's attention away from her laptop and she shut the device quickly.

"What do you mean?"

"She won't even look at me. I went to check on her when she got sick again and she wouldn't let me touch her." The redhead's face contorts into an expression that completely gives away the tears she's fighting.

"Then you're going to have to talk to her." Beca's reply was blunt and not at all sympathetic to the situation. And Chloe knew that she was tired; she really did. But the last few days had been hard on her too and she only had so much left to give.

"It didn't work out the last time I did!" She snapped. Realizing the severity of the situation, Beca straightened up and worked to soften her gaze.

"Chloe," Beca ran a hand back through her hair, trying to hide her stress. "Please don't do this again. We talked about it before; you didn't do this. But if you think Jay's got an issue with you, you really do need to talk to her about it. I can't do anything."

"I don't even know what to say. She hasn't been the same since she got home," Chloe said.

"Of course she hasn't. We all have to help her get back to that." Beca replied earnestly. Chloe passed for a moment; staring at her in a way that caused her face to redden after a few seconds. "What?" She shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry, I've just…never seen you like this before. You're getting so good with her." Chloe explained. Beca shifted her eyes away from her for a few seconds; trying to figure out a good way to respond.

"Well…I should have gotten better with her sooner." She mumbled finally. Chloe's concern for herself quickly evaporated and she tilted her head at Beca.

"Maybe we should just go to bed," The older girl suggested. She kept her tone light and the opposite of disciplinary, hoping that Beca wouldn't refuse. To her relief, the brunette stood up and nodded, yawning all the while.

"Yeah," She muttered. Extending her hand, she pulled Chloe up and the two young women found themselves face to face. Chloe couldn't help herself before her eyes had flickered down to Beca's lips. Fighting the urge, she cleared her throat and backed away awkwardly. Beca wasn't oblivious to the action and sighed. Chloe had barely touched her since she had gotten home, outside of helping her around for the first few days, and she knew that the other girl was just scared of hurting her. So, she tightened her grip on Chloe's hands before she could pull away completely and brought their faces back together.

"Kiss me," Beca breathed out lightly. She watched as Chloe's eyes widened in initial surprise and then flared with uncertainty.

"I don't want to-"

"Hurt me," Beca finished for her. "You won't."

After a few seconds of hesitation, Chloe finally leaned down and pressed her lips against Beca's as lightly as she possibly could. She barely grazed Beca before the brunette put her weight onto her good leg and arched onto the ball of that foot. Her arms found their way around Chloe's neck and she willed the caution she could feel in the redhead's movements away. Eventually, a pair of hands landed on her waist and a tongue ran along her bottom lip questioningly. Beca willed it in immediately and couldn't help but moan contently against Chloe's mouth. As always, the redhead made her heat up from the inside out, and Beca's chest burned with love for the older girl. And despite the building need that nagged at Beca, she knew she was far too sore to go any further.

"I love you. We'll get through this, okay? All of us. I'm not losing any of you." Beca pulled back and stared up into her girlfriend's eyes seriously. Chloe's head twitched in the hint of a nod, and her breath came out in little pants as she tried to compose herself from the kiss.

"I love you Beca Mitchell."

_**Don't forget to review and let me know what you think. I've also been considering bringing Emily into the story as a "new" character. Thoughts?**_


	51. Chapter 51

"Jay? Come on; you have to wake up." Jaiden's eyes fluttered open at the gentle nudge of her shoulder and the early morning sun immediately made her close them again. Groaning, she rolled over and buried her face into Stacie's chest. To her dismay, the older girl shifted away from her and Jaiden could feel her sitting up.

"Babe, get up." Stacie prodded. Reluctantly, Jaiden opened her eyes again and rolled back over in order to face her sister. Beca was already dressed and apparently ready to go; a rare occurrence for the older Mitchell sibling.

"The car leaves in 15 minutes. Get some clothes on." Beca told her. From the tone in her voice, Beca was obviously not happy about being up that early. She watched as her sister slowly sat up and then blinked the sleep out of her eyes. Stacie rubbed her back sympathetically and watched the younger girl get up. Beca took her cue to leave, being that Jaiden had slept in her underwear, and she left the door a little ajar.

"I better get to class," Stacie yawned. She stretched her arms with a small groan and then wrapped them around Jaiden's bare torso. "I love you. Let me know how it goes." She told her. Jaiden grunted a response and slid out of the embrace before Stacie could kiss her. The taller brunette watched, a little hurt, as Jaiden pulled a v-neck on and then slid into some jeans. Unsure of whether or not she should go, Stacie stood awkwardly by the bed as Jaiden somewhat brushed her hair and put on a bit of mascara.

"You can go, Stace. It's fine. I'll be fine." Jaiden spoke up. She glanced at Stacie in the mirror and nodded at her reassuringly. Though her girlfriend wasn't fooled-Stacie had picked up on her nerves mere seconds into watching her-she didn't want to hover.

"Okay. Text me when you can," Stacie called before she let herself out. Jaiden relaxed, only a little bit, and rested her hands on her dresser. The idea of going back to therapy had even invaded her dreams last night; and her stomach had been twisting with nerves since Beca had woken her up. And she knew Stacie wanted to help; she really did, but there wasn't really much she could do.

After a few more minutes of stalling, Jaiden forced herself out of her room and out into the hallway. The idea of breakfast sent her sensitive stomach churning, and she realized suddenly that it was going to be a while before she could start comfortably drinking coffee again. _So much for waking up_, Jaiden told herself bitterly.

"Hey," Chloe's voice cut into her thoughts and Jaiden couldn't help but jump a bit in response. She hadn't expected the redhead to just be waiting in the kitchen so early. "Can I make you something? Do you want eggs?"

"No, I'm fine." Jaiden replied quickly. The last thing she wanted was to have Chloe do anything for her; especially after she had already done so much. Chloe had to think she was already taking advantage of her.

"Are you sure? It's really no trouble," Chloe tilted her head to the side. Jaiden shook her head silently and looked around awkwardly. Much to her relief, Beca walked in after a few seconds and looked between the two of them.

"Ready to go?" Beca asked. She had picked up on the slight tension immediately and in order to preserve the peace, she decided to just separate them. Her sister nodded and she stepped quickly towards her side.

"See you later, babe. I love you," Beca grabbed her keys off of the counter and kissed Chloe goodbye quickly. She could see the sadness in the older girl's blue eyes, and if she had any spare time, she would have stopped to say something. But, she didn't, so Beca settled for a meaningful look and then started after Jaiden, who had already begun making her way towards the door.

"Love you too," Chloe murmured as she heard the front door shut.

* * *

The car ride back to the hospital had been short, silent, and tense. Jaiden had opted to stare out the window moodily; wondering why Beca wouldn't even let her drive herself and how long she was going to be babied. Beca, on the other hand, was just waiting for the opportunity to bring up the fact that se was heading to an appointment of her own. In the same wing of the hospital.

"You're going to be late," Beca noted after a solid five minutes of sitting in her parked car. Jaiden finally lifted her forehead from the window and blinked a few times at her sister.

"What's going on? Why didn't you let me drive myself?" Jaiden deadpanned.

"I'm going to a session too. Just to…learn some stuff, I guess." She admitted. Beca's eyes dropped to the keys in her lap and she waited anxiously for Jaiden's response.

"Oh," Jaiden ran her fingers back through her messy hair. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's just kind of awkward."

"God, Beca, everything's kind of awkward right now. But if I don't get any privacy, then you don't either." Jaiden's voice had a lace of sarcasm, and she finally pulled on the door handle beside her. The 18 year old stood up and stretched her legs; still stiff from the early hour, and then began towards the hospital. She could hear Beca trotting behind her and it took a few seconds for her to catch up.

"Sorry," The older girl apologized quietly. Jaiden glanced down at her as they crossed the lane between the parking lot and the entrance and rolled her eyes.

"I'm not actually mad at you. I don't think I'm entitled to be mad at you for a while." The two of them made their way through the front doors and up to the hospital's front desk. The sickeningly clean smell of the building hit Jaiden like a wall; filling her thoughts with vomit, the clicking sound of her doctor's pen as he filled out endless charts based on their interviews, and the scratchy, thin blanket she had curled up with at night.

"Jaiden Mitchell? Dr. Wilson has been ready for you," A nurse's voice pulled Jaiden out of the minor flashbacks and she threw a nervous glance at Beca. Her older sister nodded reassuringly and reached out to squeeze her arm, knowing that Jaiden was probably a lot more uncomfortable than she had let onto.

"I'll meet you back out here, okay?" She said.

"Okay," Jaiden replied quietly. With one last lingering glance, she moved towards the waiting nurse and left Beca alone in the lobby.

"Take a seat, honey," the woman behind the nurse's station prompted lightly, seeing that Beca was still standing in front of her.

"Oh," Beca broke her gaze away from the corridor that Jaiden had disappeared down into and shook her head. "No, actually, I have an appointment too. I'm here to see Dr. Hernandez."

"B. Mitchell?" Beca nodded in confirmation and scratched behind her ear as the worker scrolled through her computer. Within seconds of clicking the "Patient Confirmed" button, a new nurse walked into the lobby. "She'll take you right into his office."

Beca thanked the woman tensely and forced herself to follow the older lady clad in blue scrubs. They made their way down the practically identical hospital hallways and Beca found herself wondering how exactly she would find her way back. Eventually, they stopped in front of an open door and the nurse peeked her head in.

"Ms. Mitchell is here," She called. Apparently receiving a confirmation, the woman turned around and gestured into the doorway, prompting Beca to enter.

Out of every stereotypical shrink she could picture, there was not one that looked like Dr. Hernandez. The woman was small, practically the same height as Beca, and somehow that eased her anxieties just a little.

"Beca! It's so great to finally meet you. I was just reading over your chart," the tan skinned woman rose from her desk and extended a delicate hand towards her newest patient. "Please, take a seat," Beca shook her hand and then did just that. She sank down into the soft leather chair that sat across from the psychiatrist's desk and tried not to look nervous.

"Never been to therapy?" The doctor asked. Her left eyebrow arched up playfully and Beca found herself blushing.

"That obvious, huh?"

"Just a little," she smiled. "Let's just start off with a simple question then; how are you doing?"

"Like, in general or today or?" Beca let her voice trail off; completely at a loss at how to answer such a generic question.

"Just in general. How have you felt lately?"

"Well, kind of shitty, honestly. My little sister tried to kill herself. I thought how I was feeling would be obvious." Beca said.

"Some people don't like their sisters," Dr. Hernandez shrugged. "Why do you think she did that?"

Beca couldn't help but wince at the question. It was certainly one she had been asking herself a lot lately; but actually having to discuss it with a stranger was a whole different deal.

"I don't know. In the hospital she said…she said she didn't know how to fix things. With me, or with my girlfriend, or…I think she said anything."

"Why would she have to fix things?"

"Jaiden and I," Beca paused; trying to figure out how exactly to word things. The things she felt seemed so clear when they were in her head, but when it came to voicing them, she just couldn't find the right phrases. "We hadn't actually spoken in a couple of years, until she came to Barden."

"Why?"

"Our parents got divorced and…and I got the easy life with my dad. She ended up in my mom's custody and her new husband abused Jaiden. He nearly killed her." Beca admitted. Her face grew hot with shame and she couldn't help but wonder what the woman across from her was actually thinking.

"And so she blamed you for that?"

"I promised to help her; to get her out of there. And I didn't before he…before she ended up in the hospital. She kind of had a right to be mad."

"How old were you at the time, Beca?"

"I don't know," Beca struggled to think back to what grade she had been in at the time. "Like 15. Somewhere around there."

"Fifteen year olds can hardly take care of themselves; let alone someone else," Dr. Hernandez pointed out. "The adults involved were to blame, not you."

"I know, and she does too. Jaiden ended up blaming herself more than anybody though." The admission caused the slightly older woman to frown.

"What do you mean?"

"Ted," the name tasted like venom in Beca's mouth. "He pounded it into her head that she deserved what he did to her, because she was gay. And I guess she just started to believe it after a little while."

"Okay, I think I've learned enough about your sister," Dr. Hernandez turned a page in her notebook and then let her eyes settle on Beca. "Let's focus back on you again. Why do you think you're here?"

"Well, Jaiden's doctor suggested that this might help with the entire situation. And I know there are some things that I really can't ignore anymore.

"Like what?" Dr. Hernandez prompted.

"Just…myself. I'm not really the best with relationships; my girlfriend can vouch for that. I didn't really start letting people in until this year. And my anxiety…it's gotten worse since everything started changing." Beca explained awkwardly. The psychiatrist nodded, jotting down a few notes, and then looked back up.

"Well, Beca, I think we have our work cut out for us."

* * *

"We've been sitting here for 20 minutes, Jaiden. Don't you think it's about time you say something?" Jaiden lifted her eyes from her clasped hands and made eye contact with the doctor for only the second time since entering the room. Dr. Wilson was young, pretty, and obviously just out of her internship; all of which made Jaiden nervous.

"Something," She offered bluntly. The psychiatrist rolled her eyes and clicked her pen impatiently.

"You know I'm only here to help," She reminded her. No response. Dr. Wilson shifted in her chair and rested her chin on her hand, staring at her patient thoughtfully. "You know, if I don't have anything to write down, they're going to assume that I'm not a good match for you. And then you'll get sent to Dr. Stevenson, who is in his early 70's and has been conducting therapy out of textbooks for the past four decades-"

"Fine," Jaiden relented with an irritated sigh. "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to say what you're feeling. How've things been since you got home?"

"How do you think? Tense, obviously. Everyone watches me like a hawk and Chloe's going to ask me to leave any second-"

"I'm sorry; who's Chloe?" Dr. Wilson interjected.

"My sister's girlfriend. They asked me to move in with them earlier this year, but now I know she's fed up with everything. She knows I'm not good for Beca." She explained. Dr. Wilson frowned and she clicked her pen out in order to jot something down.

"Did Chloe ever say these things to you?" She questioned.

"Well, no, but-"

"Then how do you know that's what she's thinking? Has she been hostile to you in the slightest?" The older woman challenged. Jaiden arched an eyebrow, slowly coming to terms with the fact that she may have just met her match.

"No. But, before everything, she told me how I needed to step up and try harder."

"Was trying to kill yourself 'trying harder'?" Jaiden fell back into silence at the question and sighed.

"No," She admitted finally. "I just didn't know what to do."

"Well," Dr. Wilson reasoned. "I'm here to help you figure that out."

* * *

Over an hour later, Jaiden was practically jogging back into the hospital's main lobby; beyond ready to go home. Dr. Wilson was immensely good at her job, which wasn't necessarily fortunate for Jaiden, because she found herself talking about much more than she had wanted to. A small burst of relief flooded her racing mind when she locked eyes on Beca, and from the look on the older girl's face, she felt it too.

"Ready to go home?" Jaiden nodded eagerly at the question. "Well let's go then," The younger Mitchell followed Beca out of the sliding glass doors and towards the car. Dr. Wilson had given her one item to take care of until their next session and at the time it had sounded simple; address the situation with Chloe. Not even fix the situation, just address it. But, the longer she thought about it, the more daunting the idea seemed. If she approached Chloe about it directly, the redhead could ask her to leave right then and there.

"Beca," She started out nervously. "Has Chloe said anything to you lately? About, um, me?"

"Huh?" Beca looked over at her as she started the car. "Oh, um-"

"Does she want me to move out?" The younger girl blurted out. Her sister paused in her move to put the vehicle into drive and leaned back in her seat, completely astounded. The question had caught her off guard and she struggled to figure out where the assumption had even come from.

"Jay, what? No. Why would you…why would you even think that?"

"Because she said I needed to step up and I didn't. And she wants to protect you." Jaiden mumbled. Her sister shook her head, sighing at the paranoid, self-blaming point of view, and rubbed her temples.

"Chloe has been terrified that you hate her since you got home. You're both freaking each other out because you both think that you're mad at each other. When we get home, you two are going to talk this out; got it?" Jaiden nodded, a little shocked at the authority in Beca's voice, and then moved to put her seatbelt on.

"Okay then," The younger girl said. Satisfied, Beca finally put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking lot.

_**I came up with a hella good idea to bring Emily in and I've been thinking about making her a potential future love interest for Jaiden (scandalous, I know). Let me know what you think!**_


	52. Chapter 52

Jaiden looked uncertainly back at her sister, who had just finished closing the door behind them. Beca rolled her eyes and nudged her forward, completely irritated by the lack of communication in the apartment. Knowing Beca would make her talk one way or another, Jaiden forced herself deeper into the apartment and finally found Chloe resting in the living room.

"Chloe," She started out nervously. "Can we talk for a minute? In private?" The redhead looked up in surprise and rose immediately.

"Yeah, sure, of course," She nodded. Jaiden wrung her hands anxiously and started towards her bedroom, knowing that the older girl was following close behind. By the time they actually made it into the former guest room, her heart was in her chest and she gulped in an attempt to get that thick feeling out of her throat. Too on edge to sit, Jaiden chose to stand beside her desk, watching as Chloe sat down tentatively on the bed.

"I know you're probably waiting to tell me to move out, and that's completely justified, but I just want to apologize for everything. You said I needed to step up for Beca and I couldn't….I mean, I didn't-"

"Whoa, wait," Chloe interrupted. "You think I'm going to ask you to move out?" She shook her head in disbelief.

"After everything…yeah." She said.

"Jaiden, no." The older girl shook her head and stood up from the bed, completely shocked at what she was hearing. The hostility, cold shoulders, and avoidance completely made sense now, though for a different reason. And she felt awful for not realizing it sooner. "I had no idea. I'm not mad at you, at all. I would never ask you to move out. We both want you here, so much." She assured the teenager. "Come here," Chloe pulled her into a hug, no longer afraid to touch her, and felt Jaiden's thin arms wrap back around her.

"I'm sorry for making things so hard on you and Beca," The 18 year old murmured.

"We just want you to get better," Chloe rubbed her back comfortingly and then pulled back so that she could look at her. "And you don't need to keep apologizing to us, okay?"

"Okay," Jaiden said. She released her hold on Chloe and stepped back a bit; now vastly ashamed of the assumption she had made. Her cheeks burned red with embarrassment and Chloe couldn't help but notice. In all honesty, she looked like Beca after an argument where she was proven wrong.

"You know you can come to me for anything, right? I'm here for you, 100%. Even though you might not always want me to be," She reassured Jaiden sincerely and squeezed the taller girl's hands.

"I know. Thanks," Just like that, the younger girl was retreating back into herself. She dropped her gaze to the floor and pulled her hands away from Chloe's. Unaware of how to pull her back out of it, Chloe left the room awkwardly and nearly ran straight into Beca.

"Did you two talk? Are things alright now?" The small brunette demanded.

"We're fine. But she just kind of…froze up. I don't know if she's embarrassed or just stressed out from therapy or what," Chloe shrugged. She watched her girlfriend purse her lips and then glance past her at the ajar bedroom door.

"I'll give her a little space for now. I'm sure today was overwhelming for her," Beca sighed. The couple walked down their hallway and retreated into the living room together, where Chloe picked up her laptop and resumed working on her thesis. However, she was practically dying to ask how Beca's own session had went, and eventually she couldn't take it anymore.

"So," She started out carefully. "How _did _everything go?" Beca looked up from her phone and locked the device.

"Fine. We talked about a lot," Beca shrugged.

"Do you think it's going to help?"

"It's too early to tell. And I'm kind of more concerned about Jaiden than I am with myself right now," Beca said.

"The better you're doing, the more you can help her," Chloe pointed out wisely. Beca stared up at her with subtle adoration before leaning in and kissing her. The redhead was much less cautious than the last time, and Beca immediately felt a wave of heat move to her face as Chloe's hand brushed against the fading bruises carefully. Wanting Chloe's lips to stay against her's, Beca hooked a hand around the back of her girlfriend's neck and lay back with her.

Chloe put a hand on each side of Beca, careful not to lean her full weight on the girl, and tilted her head to the side. She deepened their kiss a bit eagerly, hoping that Beca wouldn't pick on how much pent up need she had. The last thing she wanted was for Beca to feel bad that they hadn't had any intimate time lately. But apparently, Beca felt it as well.

"Bedroom?" The brunette murmured against Chloe's lips. She opened her eyes to stare up into her's questioningly, and Beca could read the hesitation. "Please?"

"Are you sure?" Chloe leaned back a bit, only to feel Beca's hand holding her firmly in place.

"I'm sure." Beca affirmed. Still hesitant, Chloe got to her feet slowly and then extended her hand. She pulled the smaller girl to her feet and surprised Beca by picking her up into her arms. Though Beca tried to hide it now, she knew the girl's ankle still pained her, and if she wanted this, Chloe was going to make it as comfortable as possible. So, she walked into their bedroom and sat Beca down on their bed. Feeling the brunette's eyes on her, she turned around to close the door and then pulled her shirt off. Chloe let the garment fall to the floor and turned back around slowly to face her girlfriend. Beca's eyes ran up and down her torso and Chloe could see the hunger in them.

"Come here," Beca prompted. When her girlfriend didn't move, she took off her own shirt and then reached around to unclasp her bra. Apparently reassured by Beca's actions, Chloe finally moved forward and reached down to stroke Beca's hair back out of her face. The small brunette put her hands on Chloe's hips and then pushed herself back on the mattress. Chloe slipped out of her jeans slowly, her eyes never leaving Beca's bruise-covered skin, and then crawled over the brunette as carefully as she could. Beca's thumbs stroked her hipbones lightly and her breathing quickened as Chloe leaned down and began to plant light kisses down the side of her neck.

"Where do you want me?" Chloe breathed out; her hot breath gusting against Beca's collar bones. She had missed this. God, she had _really _missed this

"Down," Beca replied weakly. Her girlfriend obliged; slowly making a trail down between Beca's exposed breasts, and she couldn't help but relish the fact that she could feel goosebumps arising on her lover's flesh. As her lips grazed Beca's taunt stomach, she felt the smaller girl arch underneath her. "Lower," Beca moaned. Praying that her sister wouldn't choose now to want some company, Beca gripped the comforter beneath her and braced herself.

* * *

Stacie roused at the knock on her door, having nearly been asleep, and she threw her blanket off of herself quickly. The first thing her mind flickered to was Jaiden, and the tall brunette practically stumbled towards the door in order to answer it. However, her heart dropped when she came face to face with the boy from the party she had gone too after she and Jaiden had broken up.

"Hey, Stace," He grinned. The boy slid a hand onto Stacie's hip and let himself into her dorm, much to her surprise.

"What-" Stacie stammered. "What are you doing?"

"Figured you'd maybe be down for a quickie," He chuckled. "You are Stacie Conrad, after all."

"I have a girlfriend," She frowned, a bit insulted at his insinuation.

"I know. Word is she went off the deep end," The boy-Stacie couldn't even remember his name-slid one of his hands down and grabbed her ass; pulling her closer to him. And as much as she hated herself for admitting it; she was a little turned on by him. But, Jaiden's face flashed through her mind and she shoved him away before he could go any further.

"Get the hell out and stay away from me," She demanded. The frat boy raised his hands in defeat and started towards her door reluctantly.

"Whatever. Just let me know when you get bored," He shrugged. Stacie watched as he let himself out of the room and shut the door behind himself roughly. Once he was surely gone, the tall brunette sat down on the edge of her bed and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to come to terms with what had just happened. She loved Jaiden; she really did. There wasn't a doubt in her mind about that. But, when they had started dating, she had no idea that their relationship was going to be this…stressful. And if Jaiden barely wanted to live, she obviously wasn't doing much for the girl's life. The troubling thoughts continued to build in Stacie's head and she gripped the mattress tightly. In a split second, the brunette had gotten to her feet and opened her door. The sound caught the attention of her retreating surprise guest and he turned around to catch her gaze.

"Come back."

* * *

Jaiden took to lying in her bed for the rest of the day, drifting off to sleep in the early evening. She was grateful that the other two girls in the apartment gave her some space. The morning had been taxing on her, and she knew she was in for another rough time when she woke up. Her first group therapy session started tomorrow; something she was dreading even more than her one-on-one time with Dr. Wilson. Sharing with one person was enough; but a whole group was just vastly overwhelming. She fell asleep coming up with various scenarios of how bad the next day would go.

* * *

Surprisingly for Beca, Jaiden was up and getting ready when she went in to check on her the next morning. The younger girl still look exhausted, despite how much sleep she had gotten, and Beca couldn't help but worry when she caught sight of the dark circles under her eyes.

"We're going to leave in about 10 minutes, okay?" She let her know. Jaiden looked away from her mirror and nodded tiredly.

"Can't I just drive myself?" She asked. Beca froze for a moment, not comfortable with Jaiden heading off by herself yet, and bravely shook her head.

"I'd feel better if I took you," She said. Before Jaiden could argue, she backed out of the doorway and returned to the kitchen to wait. Chloe was sleeping in for once, finally giving into the toll the past week or so had taken on her, and Beca was glad she was taking some time to rest.

In a matter of 10 minutes, Jaiden came shuffling out of her room and only blinked in response when Beca asked if she was ready to go. The two siblings made their way out to the car in silence, and the only sound in the car on the way to the hospital was the mixtape that Beca had popped in. The second they pulled up to the curb, Jaiden was up and out of the car without as much as a word of goodbye.

"See you at 10:30," Beca mumbled as she watched her younger sister disappear through the hospital entrance.

"Jaiden?" The nurse at the desk recognized her as soon as she walked in and Jaiden nearly rolled her eyes at the fact she had come here so much. "Trish can take you right up to group. Try to be here a little earlier next time."

"Yeah, well, maybe you shouldn't schedule these in the morning," The 18 year old grumbled. She followed the second nurse out of the lobby, oblivious to the glare that the woman behind the desk had given her. Jaiden walked the familiar pathway up to the psych floor and she braced herself before entering the room she was brought too.

Immediately, six pairs of eyes came to land on her and Jaiden nearly turned around and booked it right then and there.

"You must be Jaiden. Welcome," The only adult in the room smiled at her and then gestured towards the only open seat left in the circle of chairs. "Please, take a seat." She begrudgingly moved forward and sat down against her will.

"Now that everyone's here, let's begin. We have two new members with us today. Emily," The therapist looked at the girl next to Jaiden and nodded at her. "Why don't you introduce yourself first?" She shifted uncomfortably and looked around the other teens in the room.

"I, um, I'm Emily Junk," She stuttered out. Jaiden slouched down in her chair, bored already, and looked around. To her right, there was an anxious looking boy, who was twiddling with his thumbs and refusing to look at any of them. To his right was a girl who looked way younger than any of them, and she tugged at her sleeves in a way that hinted at exactly what she was there for. Then there was the older man who was apparently the group leader.

"Tell us why you're here, Emily," Jaiden turned her attention back to the girl beside her and waited for her response. The only interesting thing about these people would be their reasons for coming here, and Jaiden perked up a bit as she started to stammer an explanation.

"I…I'm depressed and…a-and my parents caught me, um," Jaiden's subtle amusement softened as she watched the teenager start to struggle. "They found out about my, uh-"

"How about I go?" Jaiden found herself speaking up before she even thought about it, and everyone in the group turned to look at her in surprise. She caught sight of her neighbor, Emily's appreciate glance as they attention was redirected to her. "I'm Jaiden Mitchell and I got super drunk and tried to kill myself. And if you want some irony, I overdosed on Zoloft, which doubles as an anti-depressant. Obviously didn't work." She deadpanned.

"Ms. Mitchell, suicide is not something we take lightly here," The therapist chastised.

"Obviously," Jaiden sighed. She fell silent again and crossed her arms, hoping that they could just move on. To her relief, the therapist began droning on about how important it was to share their feelings with others, and she began to zone out for the next hour and a half.

It was just as awful as she thought it would be.

_**Dun dun dun. Requests/feedback/suggestions are welcome. Thank you all for reading!**_


	53. Chapter 53

When Dave, the group leader, finally dismissed the session, Jaiden was predictably the first out on her feet and out into the hallway. The entire hour and a half felt like at least an entire day, and she doubted there was another person on the planet with a voice as boring as Dave's. She was hallway out of the wing when she felt a light touch on her arm.

"Hey, um, Jaiden?" The 18 year old turned around to find the girl who had sat next to her, Emily, staring at her tentatively. She was about Jaiden's height, maybe an inch or so shorter, and apparently her nervous disposition hadn't only been caused by the therapy session. She shifted on her feet as Jaiden looked her up and down.

"Yeah?" She replied finally.

"I just wanted to say thank you for…for, um, just-"

"I understand what you're trying to say," Jaiden interrupted mercifully. She watched a burst of relief spread across Emily's face and couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for the other girl. "But you're welcome. It was nothing."

"It was more than you think," The long haired brunette admitted. "See you on Saturday." With that, she hurried past Jaiden and disappeared down the hallway quickly. Even her gate hinted at anxiety; it was fast and almost seemed like fleeing. After a few seconds, Jaiden started moving again and found herself thinking about the other people in her group. The only one she really didn't like was Dave; but the other patients weren't as bad as she thought they'd be. The boy in the group's name was Benji and he suffered from severe social anxiety. Then there was Tayler, who had severe PTSD from an incident Jaiden couldn't help but be curious about. Two of the other girls had eating disorders, bulimia for the brunette and anorexia for the red head, and then there was Shelby. Shelby had a bad case of OCD. They were quite the mix.

"Ready to leave?" Beca's voice drew Jaiden out of her thoughts and she looked at her surroundings in surprise. Truthfully, she hadn't even realized she had made it to the lobby until now. Jaiden didn't offer a reply, but simply walked towards the exit silently. Beca rolled her eyes at the attitude, but followed close behind anyways. "Are you really that mad at me for not letting you go by yourself?" She asked once they were both in the car. Once again, Jaiden didn't reply. And that was enough to set Beca off.

"Okay, enough of this bullshit. You don't have a huge team of people who have your back, and if you want to keep the ones you have around, you can't be a huge bitch." She snapped irritably. Just before Beca could put the car into drive, Jaiden ripped her seatbelt off and opened the door angrily. The 18 year old stormed down the sidewalk, away from the hospital, and Beca swore under her breath as she yanked the keys out of the admission and got out. Her ankle throbbed when she forced herself to jog, but Jaiden's pace was quick and she wasn't about to lose the girl in downtown Barden.

"Jaiden, _stop_," Beca called loudly. Her sister didn't so much as slow and she made herself speed up, despite the pain. When she finally managed to catch up, the hospital was almost half a block behind them. Beca reached out and grabbed Jaiden by the arm, a little rougher than she realized, and the younger girl whirled around with a fierceness that caught her completely off guard.

"Don't." Jaiden looked strangely defensive, and she eyed Beca with cold eyes. And that's when Beca realizes how much the past few months have changed her sister.

"Jay, please just calm down. I'm not the enemy here," Beca reminded her softly. She loosened her grip on Jaiden's arm, not wanting her to feel threatened, and worked to soften her demeanor as much as she could. She knew approaching her with force would just make things worse at this point.

"I just want some space!" Jaiden tugged out of her grasp and went to walk away again.

"Don't make me call the hospital. Please, Jaiden, don't make me send you back there." Beca hobbled after her again and snagged her by the shirt this time. Jaiden was making her more and more nervous by the second and she reached into her back pocket with her free hand for her phone.

"I'm not making you do anything," Jaiden glared at her angrily. "Just leave me alone. I'm 18 and I don't need you telling me what to do-"

"I'm in charge of you, Jay. You don't have Mom, you won't talk to Dad, and since you're _legally _considered a danger to yourself, I'm in charge. And I'm going to give you five seconds to start walking back towards that car, or I'm going to call Dr. Wilson and have you admitted again." Beca pointed the hand holding her phone back towards their car and tilted her head to the side, questioning her sister's next move. To her utmost relief, Jaiden pulled out of her grip and stalked back down the sidewalk in the direction of the hospital.

"I should have left and never come back," Jaiden mumbled, just loud enough for Beca to hear.

* * *

Stacie stared up at her ceiling, sweat still clinging to her skin, and mulled over what she had just done. Sex had always been a casual thing to her; it felt good and it meant nothing. Sex with Jaiden had been different of course, but with anyone else, it was really nothing to blink at. As much as she tried to tell herself that what she had just done nothing, she knew it would to Jaiden.

The guy, Steven, had left less than a minute after they had finished. He had worn a smug look on his face and had said something along the lines of "let's do that again soon". And the worst part was, this felt completely normal for Stacie.

Although Stacie never had a real problem with feeling guilty after sex, she _did _have a problem dealing with guilt from anything else. She knew she wouldn't be able to hide what had happened for long. And the more she thought about it, the more it scared her. Jaiden wasn't in a good place, and God knows she had no way or idea about how to help her. Something like this…it could push her over the edge again.

She couldn't tell Jaiden. Not without there being some risk of her hurting herself again, or running. Which meant she would have to step up and tell Beca first and let her figure out the way she wanted to handle it. The notion of telling Beca was terrifying, however, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt like she was going to be sick. She had really screwed up. But at the same time, Stacie knew somewhere inside her head that she really couldn't help Jaiden at this point either. The younger girl was dealing with something so foreign and unimaginable to her, and she really didn't know how to deal with it.

"Just get it over with," Stacie muttered to herself. She picked her phone up off of the dresser and hesitated a few seconds before finally managing to unlock it. Beca's name was near the top of her "Recent" list and she forced herself to tap the small phone icon. As it started to ring, she lifted the device to her ear and listened. Stacie found herself a bit let down when Beca actually answered.

"_Hello?"_

"Beca, I have to tell you something and I need you not to hate me," She blurted out.

"_What did you do?" _Beca asked slowly.

"I…I cheated on her today. I'm so sorry-"

"_How the fuck could you do this, Stacie? Now, of all times? What were you even thinking?"_

"I don't know," Stacie's voice cracked and she bit her bottom lip in a feeble attempt not to cry. "You know me, Beca. You know this is just how I am. I couldn't help her anymore either way."

"_You could have fucking tried. Just…just leave her alone from now on. She doesn't need you messing with her head. I'll take care of this." _With that, Beca hung up, leaving Stacie in a shocked and sad silence. She knew that she deserved this; but that did change the fact that it hurt.

* * *

"Tell me what that was about. Why are you two fighting? What did she do?" Jaiden asked for the fifth time in a row. She and Beca were almost back to the apartment and her sister hadn't even bothered to hide her fury after she had hung up the phone. She had let Stacie's name slip when she was shouting into the small device's speaker and since then, Jaiden had been on full alert.

"We'll talk about it later," Beca muttered. She had no idea how to go about this without setting Jaiden off. She knew she would have to tell her eventually, especially if Stacie was decent enough to listen to her and keep her distance.

"Beca, no. I'm not a little kid; you can't just hide stuff from me," Jaiden said firmly.

"Fine," Beca sighed. "But when I tell you this, you…just don't freak out. Stacie…Stacie cheated on you."

Silence rested in between the siblings and Beca glanced over at Jaiden several times as they pulled onto their street. She could see that the younger girl's hands were clenched and from the look on Jaiden's face, she was having trouble believing what she had just been told.

"Why?" The small question came out in a whisper, and it was enough to break Beca's heart even further for her sister.

"She's just…she's just that type of girl." Beca offered. She pulled into their usual space and killed the engine; fully prepared to run after her sister should the younger girl bolt again.

"She wouldn't have had to if we were…if we were doing stuff. I haven't even been a girlfriend to her and she got bored. This is my fault-"

"Jay, no, it's not." Beca told her firmly. With that, she got out of the car, which prompted Jaiden to follow. Her mind was reeling and despite the news she had just gotten, she still found herself wanting to call Stacie. Just to hear it from her. But from what she had overheard from Beca, the older girl wasn't going to pick up.

By the time they got up into the apartment, Jaiden was fully introverted and she headed straight towards her room. As much as she knew Jaiden wanted to be alone, Beca forced herself to intercept the 18 right before she could disappear behind the door.

"Stay out here. Please," She masked the order as a request, but Jaiden picked up on the fact that it wasn't an option. So, the taller brunette silently pulled out of her sister's grasp and headed to the living room. Chloe was on the couch, working on some sort of document on her laptop, and Jaiden took the spot beside her tentatively.

"Hey," The redhead perked up obliviously. She frowned when Jaiden didn't so much as blink in response. Knowing that something must have happened, she checked her phone and surely enough, she had a text from Beca that was only 2 minutes old.

_Stacie called. Said she cheated. They're done._

The message hit Chloe hard and she feigned to hide how shocked she was. Luckily, Jaiden seemed too occupied by her own thoughts to notice. The 18 year old yanked the blanket off of the spot behind them and curled up in it, obviously planning on sleeping for the rest of the day. That seemed to be her only past time anymore. Against her better judgement, Chloe shut her laptop and turned towards her.

"Can I give you a hug?" She asked hopefully. Much to her surprise, Jaiden nodded and shifted her weight to lean towards her. The redhead wrapped her in a tight embrace and glanced out into the kitchen at her girlfriend when Jaiden didn't pull away after a few seconds. Apparently comfortable enough, the 18 year old chose to remain against Chloe's chest and eventually fell asleep.

_**Lot's of drama now. Let me know what you'd like to see in the next chapter and I'll do my best to get it up soon!**_


	54. Chapter 54

"This is going to make getting her out of this so much harder," Chloe whispered, trying desperately not to wake the sleeping girl in her arms. Jaiden had conked out over 45 minutes ago and Beca had come to sit beside them.

"As if it wasn't already hard enough," Beca sighed.

"How did her therapy go?" The redhead continued to draw slow patterns on Jaiden's back, hoping to keep her out for as long as possible. Although it pained her to see this girl so upset, Chloe was content to have her napping against her. After the tension that had rested between the two of them, this was a nice change, despite the circumstances.

"She seemed pretty annoyed when she came out. But then again, that might have been me."

"What do you mean?"

"She feels like I'm babying her," Beca admitted. "Do you think I'm being overbearing."

"I think you're just trying to keep her safe." Chloe assured her seriously. Jaiden shifted a bit, causing the older two girls to freeze, and then buried her face into the blanket she had wrapped around herself. Beca smiled a bit at the two of them and then subtly snapped a pic on her phone. She knew there were a lot of hard days ahead of them, and if anything, they needed to savor the moments like this.

"She loves you, you know. That's why she was so upset when she thought you were mad." Beca told her. Her girlfriend looked down at Jaiden and continued to rub her back as she listened to the 18 year old's steady breathing. "We can do this, right? We can take care of her?" The brunette's voice wavered with uncertainty as she looked towards Chloe for assurance.

"I think so. I hope so." Chloe huffed. "At least she's okay for now. Should we…is there anything we could do to keep her mind off of Stacie when she wakes up?"

"Well, drinking is out," Beca pointed out obviously. "She won't want to go anywhere. It's like all she wants to do is sit around."

"So let's do that then," Chloe shrugged lightly. "Go out and buy some movies and take out and then we'll just sit with her."

"That's actually a really good idea," Beca got off of the couch slowly, careful not to jostle the other two too much. She kissed Chloe on the head and smiled down at her appreciatively before jogging towards the door. "I'll be back in like half an hour," She assured her. With that, Beca grabbed her purse and booked it out the door.

Nearly 20 minutes later, Jaiden shifted again against Chloe and slowly opened her eyes. The redhead watched, a bit nervous, as she slowly came to and realized her position. Surprisingly, Jaiden didn't move away from her. Instead, she rolled over just enough to look up at Chloe and yawn.

"Where's Beca?" The groggy teen asked.

"She ran out to get some stuff. How're you feeling?" Jaiden only shrugged in response. From the look in her eye, she had already started thinking about Stacie, and Chloe watched as her hand moved towards her phone. "Don't," She warned her gently.

"I just want to know why."

"No, you don't. And if she has any ounce of intelligence, she probably blocked you by now. Because you know if Beca finds out she's still talking to her, she'll kick her ass-"

"But I love her, Chloe," Jaiden interjected. The older girl sighed and began to rub her back again; completely at a loss of what to say. She knew that nothing she had to offer could soften the pain Jaiden had to be in.

"I know you do. And I think somewhere she loved you too. But, she just wasn't the one."

"She was. If I…if I could have just kept it together-"

"Jay, stop. You can't blame yourself for everything. Stacie was the one who screwed up." Chloe told her sternly. The brunette stared down at the phone in her hands and opened up the most recent string of messages from Stacie. They had been talking last night, and Jaiden read her own replies in serious scrutiny. She should have been more affectionate with the older girl, despite everything. Jaiden had been so selfish lately, and now she was paying for it. How much longer until Chloe and Beca would see that too and decide she was too much of a burden? They should be living happily together in the apartment and instead they had a 24 hour babysitting job.

"Can I see that for a second?" Chloe asked, drawing her out of her thoughts. Jaiden glanced up at her and offered her phone hesitantly. Her heart dropped as she watched Chloe swipe right and delete the entire conversation. "I'm blocking her too," She muttered. Jaiden let her gaze fall back down to the floor as Chloe tapped away at the iPhone.

"That didn't make me feel better," She sighed.

"But, it'll keep you from feeling worse later." Just then, the door opened behind them and Chloe watched as her girlfriend walked into the apartment. Beca looked a bit frazzled; considering her hair was a wind-blown mess and she was juggling several grocery bags and a tray of coffees.

"Hey babe," Chloe greeted her warmly. Beca shot her a questioning look, obviously wanting to know how her sister was doing before she entered the living room. Chloe nodded inconspicuously and sat up a bit, which forced Jaiden to as well. Beca rounded the back of the couch and set her small bounty down on the coffee table. The room filled with the smell of coffee and Jaiden perked up just enough to eye Beca suspiciously.

"What's all this?" She asked.

"Comfort food and movies. You're spending the day with us." Beca's tone left no room for an argument and she plopped down in the space beside Chloe. Jaiden, on the other hand, stood up and wrapped her blanket around her shoulders as she walked away.

"No thanks," She mumbled. "I just want to be alone for a little bit."

Beca shoved the small pang of sadness aside as she rose back up from her seat. God only knew how annoyed Jaiden had to be with her at this point, but she followed her nonetheless. Chloe watched, ready to intervene, as Beca took Jaiden by the arm.

"I know you do. But, neither one of us are going to force you to talk. Just stay out here where we can keep an eye on you. Please?" Jaiden tugged her blanket tighter around herself and stood still; debating over what she wanted to do. She hadn't been alone since she had woken up, and what she really wanted to do was curl up in bed and mull over every single mistake she had made with Stacie. Obviously Beca knew that. And Jaiden knew that her sister wasn't going to relent, so she shuffled back into the living room and slumped down into one of the arm chairs. "Thank you," Beca murmured as she sat back down beside Chloe. The only response she got was Jaiden reaching forward and plucking one of the Starbucks cups out of its tray.

The rest of the day passed without one single word escaping Jaiden's lips. She responded to the few questions she was asked with either a shake of the head or a nod, and not one ounce of emotion more. By 8, she had folded herself up into a small ball in the leather chair and was snoring softly.

"Should we wake her up so she can go to her own bed?" Chloe couldn't help but notice Jaiden's less than comfortable looking position as their third DVD of the day returned to its menu. Beca looked over at her sister and winced at the angle her neck was in.

"Yikes," She grimaced. "Maybe."

"Do you want me to do it? Things have seemed a little tense between you two today," Chloe offered. Beca nodded gratefully and braced herself as the older girl stood up and walked around the coffee table. She nudged Jaiden's shoulder a few times and then jumped back as the teenager jolted awake and grabbed her arm. "Whoa, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," Chloe apologized. "How about you head off to bed?"

"Mmm'kay." Jaiden grunted and got to her feet, still a bit disoriented from sleep.

"Goodnight," Beca called after her.

"Night." Her younger sister's voice barely reached Beca's ears as she walked down the hallway. A little relieved at how docile Jaiden had been, Beca relaxed against Chloe when the redhead came back to the couch.

* * *

The next day passed slowly for both Beca and Chloe. Jaiden was practically lethargic; either sleeping or staring off into space throughout the majority of the time they had checked in on her. The most eventful thing that the 18 year old had done was get a shower.

When Saturday morning finally came, Beca found herself debating whether or not to allow Jaiden to drive herself. In a moment where she really could Chloe's advice, she was left without it. The redhead had gotten up and headed to the grocery store early in the day, leaving Beca to make the decision by herself. By the time Jaiden had emerged, Beca was jingling the younger girl's eyes around in her hands anxiously.

"Hey," Jaiden said, spying what Beca was holding. She came to a stop at the counter beside the smaller girl and watched her patiently.

"Promise you'll come right home?" Beca's tone made the question more of a demand, and she kept the car keys just out of the brunette's reach.

"I promise, Becs."

"Okay. Give me a hug," Beca finally relented and handed Jaiden the lanyard. She pulled the slightly taller girl into an embrace and squeezed her tightly. "I love you."

"Love you too. Thanks." Jaiden replied sincerely. Untangling herself from Beca, she exited the apartment while her older sister watched nervously.

Truly alone for the first time in days, Jaiden took her time driving to the hospital. Her mind filled with dread at the idea of spending another hour and a half in a group session, but skipping was not an option. Jaiden knew damn well Beca would be calling to make sure that she was there, and she didn't think the nurse at the front desk was going to do her a solid and lie. Being late, on the other hand; she could manage that.

20 minutes after she was supposed to be there, Jaiden strolled into the hospital with an iced coffee in hand. Ignoring the glare she got from her nurse, the 18 year old scrolled through her Twitter until she was directed into the group therapy room and finally put her phone away. Dave did not look amused.

"So nice of you to join us," The man remarked.

"Sorry," Jaiden shrugged. "Traffic was bad this morning." She took a sip of her coffee and crossed her legs; settling in for what she knew would be a long hour and ten minutes.

"Back to where we were," Dave apparently was ready to continue with his "lesson". "Shelby, you were just telling us about the first time your parents addressed your problem," He paused, just long enough to shoot a look at Jaiden. "For those of you who didn't catch the beginning of this session, it's important to acknowledge those that are trying to help."

"Yeah," Shelby snapped the rubber band on her wrist once. And then again. And then four more times. "They opened my backpack and found my notebook."

"And what was in that notebook?"

"My time log," The girl mumbled.

"What were you tracking?" David asked, as if he already didn't know.

"Washing my hands," She admitted.

"How often were you washing them?"

"Every six minutes," Shelby whispered. And then she began to snap at her rubber band again, six more times. Jaiden took another sip of her drink; watching the exchange curiously.

"What did they say to you, Shelby? How did they address it?" David prompted.

"They told me that I needed help, and that they had noticed my, um, my habits. We fought a lot about it and we tried a few different therapists before the hospital got involved." She explained timidly. Apparently satisfied with the answer, Dave turned his attention to the girl beside Shelby.

"Jenna," He tilted his head to the side. "It's your turn."

"My parents didn't do shit," The redhead crossed her thin, _thin _arms in front of her chest and eyed the therapist challengingly. "My friends at school told my guidance counselor on me and she called home. They were too busy to do anything other than tell me to eat. I got help by myself."

"Surely you have someone supporting you?" Dave frowned. Jenna rolled her eyes and glanced around the room.

"You guys are as close as it gets." She didn't sound happy about the fact. Apparently ready to move on before his methods looked stupid, Dave looked at the girl who was sat beside Jaiden. The seating arrangement was the same as last time, and Jaiden couldn't help but notice the way Emily tensed.

"Emily?"

"I don't…I don't really feel comfortable talking about it." She mumbled. Jaiden sat up a bit, sympathetic to how uncomfortable she seemed, and looked over at Dave warily. The therapist clicked his pen and adjusted his glasses before speaking.

"That's why we're here, Emily. You have to learn not to internalize these things. That's part of what causes your condition." He told her. When the dark haired girl didn't respond, he huffed impatiently. "I suppose I'll start you off then. From what your father told me, he found a few of your used razor blades in your bathroom." Emily tensed and gripped the seat of her chair. Jaiden looked between her and the therapist; growing to dislike him more and more. Everyone in the session was staring at Emily and she locked her gaze on the tiled floor.

"He got really mad," She whispered.

"And?" Dave leaned in. Jaiden's gaze hardened at him just before she was started by what sounded like a stifled sob.

"I…I can't talk about this," Emily whimpered. A fear slipped down her cheek and Jaiden looked around the room, waiting for someone to do something.

"You have to-"

"Dude, can you shut up for like a _second_?" Jaiden stood up from her chair and looked at the man in disgust. The other patients stared at her in shock and then looked towards the group leader, waiting for their reaction. "She's obviously not okay right now."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware you had a degree in Psychology. Sit back down and quit interrupting." He ordered, obviously insulted at her outburst. Emily, on the other hand, was struggling just to keep it together. The shouting and the pressure had become far too much for the teenager and she took the opportunity to bolt from the room.

"Your degree obviously doesn't mean shit," Jaiden scoffed. Before he could stop her, she turned around and followed the other girl out of the room, still absolutely fuming at what she had just seen. Emily was halfway down the hall by the time Jaiden caught up to her and pulled her into the first empty room they saw.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked the brunette worriedly. Emily's breath hitched in her throat, but she nodded anyways. Jaiden's hands were securely on her shoulders and she held her steady; skeptical of the response.

"Th-thank you," Emily stammered out.

"Hey, listen, that guy's a dick. I'm sorry he was pushing you like that." Jaiden fell silent as she heard footsteps coming down the hall. The 18 year old silently held a finger to her lips before maneuvering them away from the doorway and against the wall until she was sure that whoever it was had passed.

"You d-didn't have to-"

"Please," Jaiden rolled her eyes. "It's fine. Do you want to leave? We could sneak down to the lobby."

"My parents are coming to get me. I don't have m-my license."

"Okay," Jaiden wracked her brain for a solution. She really didn't want to get this girl in trouble. "How about we waste the next hour down in the cafeteria. I'll get you a coffee or something." She offered. Much to her relief, Emily seemed to calm down a little bit as she nodded. "Alright then. Follow me lead." Jaiden took the slightly smaller girl's wrist and jumped as she flinched back. It took a few seconds, but she realized what she had done and her face reddened.

"Shit, I'm sorry. Come on," She coaxed apologetically. Jaiden took her hand instead and pulled her out into the hallway. The two girls looked around warily before booking it over to the stairwell and disappearing from the psych ward.

_**Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!**_


	55. Chapter 55

"I can't believe the hospital even pays that guy." Jaiden sat down at the table across from her newest companion and handed her one of the two cups of coffee she was carrying. Nearly 10 minutes had passed since the incident in the psych ward, and Jaiden was still filled with anger. If these stupid therapy sessions were going to be mandatory, they could at least be helpful. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks." Emily nodded. She took a cautious sip of her coffee and looked around warily.

"You don't seem like someone who breaks the rules very often." Jaiden noted. Although the stuttering had stopped, Emily had been looking over her shoulder every few seconds, obviously scared of being caught by Dave. She shook her head in confirmation and continued to look around them.

"Do you want to go hide out somewhere?" Jaiden suggested intuitively. Emily perked up at the notion and nodded. The two of them walked out of the cafeteria as nonchalantly as they could. They avoided eye contact with doctors and nurses until Jaiden finally spotted a supply closet. "In here," She said, carefully taking Emily's hand and pulling her in. Once she had shut the door behind them, the other girl visibly relaxed.

"Is this better?" Jaiden asked.

"Yeah," Emily replied sheepishly. "Thank you so much for doing all of this. I know…I know that you probably want an explanation."

"Nope," Jaiden shook her head. "You don't need to tell me anything. Not unless you want to." The 18 year old sighed as she realized they would need _something _for the next few hours. "Do you want to listen to music?" She pulled her phone out of her pocket, along with a pair of headphones. Emily nodded, grateful for the way out of talking, and accepted the right earbud that Jaiden offered her.

"My sister is a music producer." Jaiden explained as she tapped on the album labeled "Beca". Every so often, the older girl would load her phone up with new mixes and songs she had worked on. Jaiden hit shuffle and leaned back against the shelf behind them, which prompted Emily to do the same.

"She's amazing," Emily said.

"Yeah," Jaiden sighed. "She is." Just then, the door opened and both of the girls jumped simultaneously. Two orderlies walked in, clad in the pale green scrubs that they both associated with the psych ward.

"You two; on your feet." Dave ordered as he stepped out from around them. The two teenagers scrambled up and exchanged scared glances as they were immediately taken by the arms. Jaiden glared at the therapist as they were hauled out of the storage closet. "These girls have obviously had breakdowns and we need to admit them." The man ordered.

"What?" Jaiden yanked at the hands on her arms angrily. "That's a load of bullshit! He was freaking her out and he's just mad I called him out on it!"

"Hush," David rolled his eyes and nodded towards the elevators. The two male nurses exchanged uncertain looks and then down at the teenagers they were restraining.

"Look, you, uh, you don't have clearance to have anyone admitted. You're not a doctor," One of them pointed out.

"Yeah," His partner agreed.

"They ran out of a _mandatory _therapy session!" David snapped. "We at least need to hold them until we can get in contact with their families."

"I drove myself and I'm a legal fucking adult. Let me go." Jaiden demanded. She pulled against the larger nurse's grasp and couldn't help but panic a bit when he refused to let go.

"Actually, Miss Mitchell, you're currently under your sister's legal jurisdiction." Dave smirked. "And Miss Junk here is still 17."

"Whatever. This is on you though," The nurse holding onto Emily said. With that, the two teenagers were ushered down the hall. Emily walked along complacently, trying not to cry, while Jaiden continued to struggle feebly. Having her arms restrained was something a little too familiar, and she struggled to control the building fear she felt in her chest.

"Get your hands off of me!" Her voice cracked at the end, completely ruining the "in control" effect she was trying to pull off. The elevator doors opened in front of them and she was shoved inside. Dave, who looked all too pleased about his little revenge, pulled his walkie talkie off of his belt and pressed the "speak" button.

"We're going to need a bed and two teams at the third elevator in Psych, ASAP." His voice was full of smug authority and Jaiden turned to look at him with a fierce hatred.

"My parents are going to kill me," Emily murmured quietly.

"Please let me go." Jaiden's voice was rising in both pitch and volume as she pulled more desperately at her current captor. She really couldn't handle this right now. Beca wasn't here, she was being physically and legally overpowered, and she felt like she had lost all control. And if there was one thing she needed, it was control.

"Just calm down," The nurse tightened his grip just a little more as the door opened, but this time Jaiden was fueled by a full on adrenaline rush. The 18 year old broke free and darted out of the elevator, only to be blocked by the group of nurses that was already waiting. Several pairs of hands grabbed onto her at once and she yelled out a scared "no" as she was forced down onto the waiting hospital bed.

"Push one of Valium," The RN ordered. Jaiden's eyes widened at the sight of the incoming needle and she wriggled under the arms holding her down. Emily was watching her in surprised horror; completely in awe of how fast Jaiden had gone from being so collected and comforting to a hysterical mess.

"Don't! Just call my sister,_stop_!" Jaiden begged as her wrists and ankles were suddenly bound by Velcro straps. She was powerless to defend herself against the injection, and she grimaced as the stinging liquid entered her bloodstream. Within seconds, Jaiden's efforts to free herself ceased and she fell still, staring up at the ceiling tiles through blurry vision. The voices around her ran together and with her last amount of effort, she attempted to keep her eyes open. The bed began to move and Jaiden groaned weakly.

"I…I need Beca."

* * *

"Chloe," The redhead leapt as Beca literally burst into their room. "Chloe, we need to get to the hospital!"

"What? Why? Did something happen?"

"One of the nurses just called me and said she had to be detained." Beca replied curtly. The brunette was rummaging through their drawers, searching for a shirt to throw on over her tank top. As Chloe got out of bed, she couldn't help but notice the way Beca's hands were shaking.

"Beca, just calm down for a second-"

"I _knew _I shouldn't have let her go by herself," Beca interrupted. "I freaking knew it. This is my fault."

"Baby, don't. Here," Chloe took Beca's hands and squeezed them tightly. She locked eyes with Beca, and willed the younger girl to get a grip before she completely lost it. "Your sweatshirt is hanging by the door. Let's just get going and deal with the situation at the hospital. She's safe there and she probably needs you right now."

Beca stared at her girlfriend, gradually slowing her breathing rate down to a normal state. Chloe's gaze always managed to center her; something that she was eternally grateful for. The taller girl's hands were warm and held her's tightly. With a tiny nod, Beca released one of them and pulled Chloe out of the bedroom quickly. She snagged her keys and hoodie off of the hooks by the door on their way out and limped slightly on their way down to the parking lot. Chloe didn't ask any more questions in a subtle attempt to keep Beca from overwhelming herself. She turned on the radio as soon as they were in the car, filling the silence with the sound of Beca's own mixes.

* * *

"What the _hell _do you think you're doing with my patients?" Dr. Wilson shoved her way into the group therapy room, where Dave was scribbling in his notebook. "You are a therapist, not a doctor. You don't get to make decisions about the wellbeing and treatment of patients, _especially _in cases with minors."

"I did what I saw fit-"

"Bull crap. I've already talked to Emily Junk, and the only thing you did was overwhelm a 17 year old girl and then punish her and her friend when they extracted themselves from a stressful situation!" Dr. Wilson cut him off fiercely. Despite her age, the older man found himself suddenly intimidated by the resident. "If you _ever _so much as enter the same room as either one of them again, I'll get your barred from this entire building," She threatened. There wasn't a single trace of insincerity in her words and the man made his first intelligent decision all day by biting his tongue. Apparently satisfied, Dr. Wilson whirled around and stormed out of the room, preparing herself to deal with Emily's parents.

"Dr. Wilson!" Mrs. Junk shouted from the opening elevator doors. The young doctor braced herself and forced her best comforting smile at the woman. She had learned that the older woman was…high strung to say the least.

"Mrs. Junk, you got here fast."

"I always stay near the hospital-"

"Just in case," Dr. Wilson nodded. "I know."

"Where's Emily? Is she alright? She didn't relapse again, did she?"

"No, no, nothing like that. The first thing you need to know is that what happened today was not your daughter's fault, and the staff member responsible has already been reprimanded." Dr. Wilson's eyes narrowed past Mrs. Junk's shoulder, where she could see Dave sulking. "She's not in any sort of trouble. In fact, she did what I taught her when she left an overwhelming situation. I'll have one of the nurses discharge her immediately and then you can be on your way. And I can _assure _you that I'll be leading her group sessions from now on."

"Thank you, Dr. Wilson." The relief on the woman's face was obvious as she shook Dr. Wilson's hand and then hurried over towards the nurse's station. Grateful that she had managed to diffuse the potential parental issue, she turned her attention towards the closet door beside her. She could see Jaiden's still form in bed through the window, and she immediately felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. Through her short time with Jaiden, she could tell that the teenager wasn't a trouble maker; not by a long shot. Adolescents who went through similar traumas often turned out far worse than she had. Knowing that her Valium would have lifted slightly, Dr. Wilson let herself in and watched as Jaiden roused from her sedated state.

"Where's my sister?" She slurred. Her doctor smiled gently and stood at the foot of her bed.

"On her way. Jaiden, I want you to know that you weren't in the wrong here-"

"Please undo these straps," The teenager interrupted. Even through her stupor, Dr. Wilson could see the anxiety in her disposition at being so restrained.

"Of course. I'm sorry they did that. I know things like this can be a trigger for you." She noted, moving forward to undo the Velcro straps. Jaiden pulled her hands away immediately and sat up as much as she could as the physician freed her legs. "I'm going to explain everything to Beca when she gets here and then we'll get you on your way."

"How's that other girl? She didn't get in trouble, did she?" Jaiden's voice was laced with a tinge of worry and the doctor blinked in surprise.

"Oh, Emily? She's fine. A little shaken up, but as you've probably noticed, that's pretty common. Her mom got here a little bit ago-"

"_Jaiden!" _The young woman jumped in surprise as a small brunette burst into the room, followed closely behind by a taller redhead. "What the hell is going on?" Beca demanded.

"Ms. Mitchell, you're here earlier than I thought you'd be."

"That's because she nearly killed us getting here," The redhead spoke up.

"I see," Dr. Wilson nodded politely. "First of all, I think it's important to state that Jaiden was not at fault today at all. A therapist of ours that has recently been _demoted _was pushing another patient too hard and Jaiden simply stood up for her and followed her when she ran out of the room. And between you and I, I'm going to our Chief of Staff the second Jaiden is discharged in order to have that man fired."

Beca looked over at her sister, a little shocked at the story. It certainly wasn't what she had imagined upon hearing the news over the phone.

"She was sedated when she objected to being admitted, but that should wear off after a bit of sleep. You two are welcome to take her home." Dr. Wilson prompted.

"Thank you so much." Chloe spoke up. She moved past her girlfriend and nudged a very dazed Jaiden's shoulder. The 18 year old slowly got to her feet and looked towards her older sister for guidance. Finally breaking out of her thoughts, Beca motioned her forward and nodded at the psychiatrist before leading her out into the hallway.

"I'm sorry, Beca." Jaiden practically whispered as they walked towards the elevator. Her pace was sluggish and Chloe put a hand on her back worriedly.

"Don't, Jay. You're fine." The smaller brunette assured her. The group of three girls made it to the elevator just as Emily and her mother did. Mrs. Junk stared at her assumingly, and Emily just looked plain scared.

"Jaiden? Are you okay?" The slightly younger teenager asked tentatively. It took Jaiden a few seconds to respond, considering how foggy her mind still was from the Valium, and she blinked at Emily slowly.

"Fine. I'm fine." She mumbled.

"Thank you." Emily whispered. Chloe nudged Jaiden, wanting her to at least address the other girl, and then backed off as she shot her a dirty look.

"You're welcome." Jaiden finally replied. With that, the group entered the opening doors in front of them for what would prove to be a very awkward elevator ride.

_**So there's some drama! I got some request for more Bechloe, which I'd totally be down for. Just let me know what you'd like to see, and I'll be sure to incorporate it. I write for you guys!**_


	56. Chapter 56

"Should we get her into bed?" Chloe asked. Jaiden had sprawled out on the couch the second they had gotten back into the apartment and had been sleeping the entire day away. Beca, who was still shaken up from their call to the hospital, sighed and shook her head.

"Just let her sleep," She decided. "I think I'm just going to get a shower and go to bed."

Chloe watched as her girlfriend got up and walked into their bedroom without another word, effectively leaving her alone with Jaiden. Although the 18 year old would never admit it, she had been terrified that morning. The various triggers she had undergone had brought back a lot more memories than she had been prepared for. Chloe had picked up on her guarded disposition before they had even left the hospital, and it was sad to see the girl almost exactly as she was when they had first met. Against her better judgement, Chloe moved over to the edge of the couch and perched in the space beside Jaiden's head. The younger girl flinched back almost immediately, and her eyes shot open.

"It's just me," Chloe assured her quickly. Jaiden relaxed, but only a bit, and she lifted her head slightly.

"What do you want?"

"It's almost dark out," Chloe informed her softly. "Maybe you should get into bed."

"Okay," Jaiden grunted as she got to her feet and then staggered a bit; still not quite sobered up. Chloe jumped to her feet in an attempt to help, but Jaiden brushed her hand off as soon as it came to rest on her lower back. "I'm fine."

"Alright. Goodnight," Chloe called after her. A feeling of hopelessness was starting to nag at her when she thought about Jaiden. Recovery seemed to be a fleeting goal for the teenager and Chloe had no idea on how to be any more supportive. Sometimes it seemed like Jaiden didn't even have the energy to care about getting better.

"Chlo? Do you want to come in here for a second?" Chloe was pulled out of her thoughts by her girlfriend's voice from the bedroom. She turned around to see Beca standing in the doorway; her robe hanging loosely off of her shoulders. Chloe got to her feet, a little unsure of what Beca needed, and walked over towards her curiously.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, um, just come into the bathroom." Beca replied as nonchalantly as she could. The tiny brunette took her girlfriend's hand and pulled her through their bedroom and into the combined master bath. Chloe couldn't suppress a little gasp of surprise as they entered, and she looked down to find Beca smiling shyly. "I know this has been a really stressful few weeks. I figured we could use a little relaxation." Beca explained. The small girl let her robe fall to the floor and Chloe watched the light from the freshly lit candles flicker off her bare skin.

"Beca," The redhead murmured. Her girlfriend reached up and pulled at Chloe's shirt, and she lifted her arms in order to let her lift it over her head. "This is…so nice."

"Yes, it is. So let's get in before the water cools off." Beca smirked. She watched Chloe strip in subtle adoration and then took the taller girl's hand. Her lips brushed against Chloe's cheek before they both stepped into the steaming bathtub. Beca tapped her phone once before lowering herself into the water, and the soft sound of one of her acoustic mixes began to sound from the Bluetooth speaker on the sink as she leaned back against Chloe's bare torso.

"They're almost gone," Chloe noted, running her fingers over Beca's nearly faded bruises.

"Mmmhmm," Beca agreed.

"Are you alright after, you know, today?"

"Yeah. I'm just…I'm getting so tired of this. Nothing we do helps her and I just don't know what to do anymore." Beca admitted.

"Have you…have you thought about maybe sending her to a treatment center?" Chloe suggested nervously. Beca lifted her head enough to look back at the older girl and chewed her bottom lip.

"I've been thinking about it."

"Do you think that's what's best for her?" Chloe prompted. Quite honestly, she couldn't imagine their apartment without the younger girl. It would just seem empty.

"I don't know. I mean, I know she wouldn't go willingly. Getting her there would be awful, and I can't handle the thought of her hating me again." Beca sighed. She traced an absentminded pattern over Chloe's thigh and watched as goosebumps covered her flesh.

"Well, if it comes to that, her doctor will probably bring it up first." Chloe pointed out. She lifted her hands and started to rub Beca's shoulders soothingly. Although Beca had never admitted it out loud, she knew that the younger girl loved it when she gave her massages. Beca stifled a groan as Chloe's thumbs dug into her upper back and forced her muscles to relax.

"I keep having these dreams where we don't get back to the apartment in time. Like there's an accident and we're stuck in traffic, or we don't see the text, or something like that." Beca spoke up after a few seconds. Chloe frowned in concern, having been unaware that she had been having nightmares. "I just…I can't lose her. We can't lose her."

"We won't." Chloe replied firmly. She continued to work out the knots in Beca's back, massaging just hard enough to make the brunette close her eyes in satisfaction. Chloe placed a light kiss on the shoulder tattoo that somehow always managed to remind her of their incident in the shower. "We should do this more often."

"We should. I know things have been crazy lately. But I promise, I'll start making more time for stuff like this. We'll start going on dates again and get out of the apartment more."

"I would love that," Chloe grinned.

"Actually, I have a project for that photography class I signed up from this semester. And I was hoping you'd want to be my subject…" Beca let her voice trail off hopefully and she tilted her head up again to look at her girlfriend.

"What kind of pictures are they?"

"Okay, gross, get your head out of the gutter," Beca scoffed. "We're just supposed to take pictures of our favorite thing." Chloe blushed at the explanation.

"When did you get so smooth, Mitchell?"

"I don't know. It's really just a gift." Beca shrugged.

"And you're even humble too."

"I know. I'm like the Kanye West of humility."

* * *

Jaiden was getting restless. The sedative they had used on her at the hospital had completely worn off, and sleeping all day had made her wide awake. She didn't want to be around her sister, or Chloe, or anyone she knew really. In times like this, she would usually text Stacie, but the realization that she couldn't even talk to the older girl left an empty ache in her chest.

"I need to go." Jaiden muttered to herself. She rolled out of her unmade bed and snatched her keys from where Chloe had laid them on her dresser. The redhead had driven her car home from the hospital, due to her own drugged state. Jaiden dug through her backpack until she found her fake ID and slid it into her wallet in place of her real driver's license. The 18 year old crept out into the main part of the apartment and relaxed when she realized that it was empty and the master bedroom's door was shut. Jaiden paused by the door, and decided her best course of action would be to leave a note. That way, Beca wouldn't think she had bailed again.

_Went out of a drive; needed fresh air. Be back soon._

Satisfied with the explanation, Jaiden stuck the sticky note on the door and then let herself out into the hallway. It was still early in the night, only about 10, and she hurried down to her car just in case Beca had already realized she was leaving. Once she had pulled out of her parking spot, Jaiden rolled down the windows and turned on the radio, grateful for the chilly air that whistled through her car. She knew the route to Mickey's Bar quite well by now, and it wasn't long before she pulled up to the dingy joint. It was relatively empty, considering the fact it was Tuesday night in a small town, and she grabbed a beer from the bar before settling into an empty booth. That one beer turned into two, and then three, and eventually progressed to six. Jaiden had quite a collection of empty bottles by the time the familiar blonde woman sat down across from her.

"Aren't you a little young?" Jaiden blinked in drunken surprise as the girl from the motel arched an eyebrow at her.

"Why does this keep happening?" Jaiden rolled her eyes dramatically and slumped down in her seat, ready to be defeated. Aubrey was Chloe's best friend; of course she was going to rat her out.

"Just the universe doing its job, I guess." She shrugged. "Could we get two whiskeys? On the rocks please." Aubrey flagged down the waitress and Jaiden let her jaw drop a bit. She hadn't expected that.

"Aren't you going to call Chloe?" She asked.

"Well, you're only like 15 minutes from your apartment. You aren't planning on running away again, are you?"

"No." Jaiden muttered.

"Then I don't see a reason to call her," Aubrey paused as their waitress brought the drinks. "Thank you," She said politely. Jaiden twirled the glass around on the table and debated whether or not she should drink it. She was already feeling pretty buzzed, and she knew that when she stood up, it would be far worse. "So, what are you doing out by yourself?"

"Getting drunk."

"Does your sister know that?"

"She knows I'm out," Jaiden replied defensively. Aubrey smirked and sipped at her liquor, seeing so much of Beca in the younger girl.

"Chloe's been keeping me pretty updated on everything. How're you doing lately?" Well, that wasn't a big surprise. Nevertheless, Jaiden's already flushed face reddened even further and she sighed. All she had wanted to do was _not _think about her life tonight. Now she had to talk about it.

"Doesn't the fact that I'm out by myself tonight tell you how I'm doing? I'm single, depressed, and drunk." Jaiden snorted. She hadn't meant to be quite so forward, but then again, why care? Everyone knew that her life was a shit show.

"Wow. You are a Mitchell." Aubrey smirked. She already knew she was going to be taking the 18 year old home, considering her current state.

"Tell me about it," Jaiden sighed. She finally gave in and took a long drink of the whiskey in front of her. She frowned at the sudden change in Aubrey's expression and found the blonde looking past her with a sort of uncomfortable concern. Following her gaze, Jaiden turned to see her ex-girlfriend walking into the bar on the arm of a guy she recognized from her psych class. Her heart dropped.

"Well, time to go. Come on; I'll drive you home." Aubrey got up from the booth, slapped down a 20, and pulled Jaiden to her feet. By that time, Stacie had noticed her too and she could tell that the brunette was going to approach them. Aubrey positioned herself in between the drunk 18 year old and Stacie as she drug her out the door. Much to her relief, Jaiden didn't protest. She just locked her gaze on her stumbling feet and followed her down the sidewalk.

"You okay?" Aubrey asked, fumbling for her keys. Jaiden shrugged.

"She sure moved on fast."

"Yeah, well, that's Stacie for you." Aubrey said. She finally managed to unlock her SUV and helped Jaiden into the passenger seat. "Please don't throw up."

"Please," Jaiden laughed suddenly. "This is nothing. I could drive."

"I'd rather not test that." Aubrey responded as she shut the door. The tall blonde rounded the front of the vehicle and then climbed in beside Jaiden. The engine revved to life and Jaiden sat up; wanting to appear as sober as she could when she got to the apartment. She knew Beca wasn't going to be happy.

_**Let me know what you think! (points to whoever noticed the Anna quote i snuck in)**_


	57. Chapter 57

"Here we are," Aubrey put her SUV in park and looked over at the 18 year old in her passenger's seat. "I want you to take my number. Whenever you need a little break from Chloe or your sister, call me. I just moved back to town." The blonde handed Jaiden a slip of paper with her cell number on it and then got out of the vehicle. She walked around to help Jaiden out, but the younger girl was still vastly independent when she was drunk, and had slid out of the passenger's side clumsily.

"Come on," Aubrey huffed. She wrapped an arm around Jaiden's waist and helped her up onto the sidewalk. The two made their way into the building and up to Jaiden's floor, slowly but surely.

"Why are you helping me?" Jaiden asked as they reached the door to her apartment. She winced as Aubrey knocked on the door, which would no doubt rouse her sister. The blonde wasn't as helpful as she thought.

"Because your sister is important to Chloe, and if you're important to Beca, that makes you important to me by extension-_Hey!" _Aubrey flashed a bright smile as the door opened and Beca stared at the two of them in confusion. The small girl was wrapped in a robe and dripping water onto the floor from where she stood.

"Jaiden…Aubrey…what the hell is going on?" She sputtered.

"I left a note." Jaiden slurred. She pointed a clumsy finger at the door and pulled out of Aubrey's grip. Shoving past Beca, she yanked the note off of the wooden panel and handed it to her.

"Have a good night," Aubrey excused herself quickly and shut the door as she left. Jaiden began towards her room immediately, praying that Beca would just leave the situation alone. Of course, she didn't.

"Are you drunk?"

"Um…maybe a little." Jaiden turned around slowly and offered a nervous smile. The look on Beca's face wiped it right off and she straightened up; trying not to sway on her feet.

"I explicitly told you no alcohol, and you left the apartment _without telling me_ and got drunk?"

"Beca, lay off!" The volume of Jaiden's voice brought Chloe out of the master bedroom and the redhead assessed the situation worriedly.

"Hey, what's going on?" She asked lightly, hoping that her presence would calm Beca down.

"She snuck out to a bar and Aubrey brought her home."

"_Jaiden_!" Chloe frowned, completely forgetting her goal of diffusing the situation. She could see now that Jaiden was pretty plastered and understood completely why Beca looked so furious.

"I seriously can't believe you. We're doing everything we can to get you in a good place and you pull something like this-"

"Beca, seriously? Fuck off. I didn't ask you to do any of this. You're the one up my ass and you're doing it just to make yourself feel better. I didn't _want _you to save me that night. You _shouldn't have_. It was my decision and it's my life, so just butt out." Jaiden's words ran together, but neither of the older girls doubted the sincerity of them.

"Jay," Beca whispered. She took a step towards the younger girl, only to be matched with a step back.

"You know what? I'm moving out. I'm moving the hell out." Jaiden decided.

"No, you're not. You're going back to the hospital." Beca's threat caught the younger girl off guard and she backed away again nervously.

"You can't just throw me in there!"

"Well, you just told us you're basically still suicidal, so I can. Let's go." Beca lunged forward and grabbed her sister by the arm. Jaiden yanked away from her clumsily and Chloe caught her other side.

"Beca, go get dressed and we'll go." Chloe, who had emerged in sweatpants and a t-shirt, grabbed onto Jaiden's other arm and nodded at her girlfriend. Realizing that she was still in her robe, Beca left the two with a locked jaw and clenched fists; trying to make sense of the mess of feelings in her head.

"You know I could totally take you, right?" Jaiden squinted at the girl holding her captive and frowned when Chloe didn't indulge her. "Hey, remember that time you tried to get with me when you were drunk. _Hey_," Jaiden started shouting towards the bedroom. "_Your girlfriend tried to get in my pants the night she got alcohol poisoning-"_

"Will you knock it off?" Chloe hissed. She swatted lightly at Jaiden, effectively silencing the drunken girl. "This is for your own benefit. You're a mess."

"Yeah, because your girlfriend's so totally put together. At least I don't have a breakdown every time one of you leaves the room."

"Okay, you should probably be quiet before you get yourself in more trouble." Chloe warned her. Luckily, Beca emerged from their bedroom soon after that, and she nodded towards the door.

"Alright, let's get going." Beca sighed. She grabbed her keys off of the hook by the door and left the apartment. That's when Jaiden started to get nervous. Beca was really going through with this. They were really going to the hospital and they were going to leave her there. Jaiden allowed herself to be tugged down to the ground floor and into the backseat of Beca's car. Her heart started racing and the alcohol in her bloodstream suddenly seemed to be more of a hindrance than a comfort.

"You guys aren't seriously doing this, are you?" She asked anxiously. Beca didn't reply as she pulled out of their parking space.

"It's for your own good." Chloe told her softly. The redhead had elected to sit beside her, and she pursed her lips nervously.

"You can't just leave me there, Beca." Jaiden was getting more and more nervous by the second, and she gripped the seat tightly.

"Well, I can't trust you at home and you're not getting any better. I'd rather have you there than dead." Beca said bluntly. She stepped on the gas, wanting to get this over with as quickly as she could, and pulled onto the freeway.

"I didn't mean that stuff-"

"Yes you did. You're just backpedaling because you're scared." Beca interjected. "I'm not letting you hurt yourself again."

"Beca, I won't, I swear."

"I'm not taking that chance." Beca told her firmly. The brunette turned the radio on and cranked it up, not wanting to argue anymore. She had to do this, for both of their sakes. Jaiden turned towards Chloe and stared at her through watery eyes.

"Please don't let her leave me there. I can't. You saw what happened this morning."

"I'm sure that if you just work with the doctors, everything will be okay. This might be exactly what you need." Chloe replied gently. Her words did nothing to calm the 18 year old and she shook her head.

"It's not. I promise you, it's not."

"Just be quiet until we get there." Beca spoke up from the driver's seat. She gripped the steering wheel tighter, refusing to look at the rearview mirror, and focused on driving. Reluctantly, Jaiden did as she was told, not wanting to further aggravate her older sister. By the time they were at the hospital, Jaiden was shaking.

"Let's go." Beca grunted as she unbuckled her seatbelt. Jaiden made no move to get out, and it took the older girl actually grabbing her arm and pulling to get her feet on the pavement.

"Beca, please don't do this." Jaiden begged. Beca's pace didn't slow as she hauled her towards the ER entrance and through the automatic doors. Chloe followed close behind, a bit nervous that Jaiden would try to run, and started to believe that Beca was actually going to go through with it.

"I need you to page Dr. Wilson, please." Beca tapped on the front desk impatiently, rousing the night-shift nurse. She glared up at the three young women irritably before spinning around in her chair and looking at the long list of pager numbers.

"Name, please?" The nurse grunted.

"Mitchell."

"Have a seat." Jaiden was tugged aside as they were waved into the waiting room. It was a relatively calm night for the hospital, and there weren't many other patients. Apparently, the psych floor wasn't terrible busy either, because Dr. Wilson appeared in the lobby not even five minutes later.

"Jaiden, Beca," The psychiatrist's eyes widened as she saw the obvious tension between the girls. "What can I help you with?"

"She's showing signs of suicidal thoughts again-"

"No, I'm not." Jaiden interrupted. She sat up as straight as she could and tried to wipe the glazed look from her eyes.

"She's drunk and Chloe and I just don't think we have the ability to keep her safe anymore." Jaiden looked at Beca in utter dismay and then quickly checked the reaction of her psychiatrist.

"If you're certain that's the course of action you'd like to take, let's go up to my office and begin the booking process," The young woman suggested. Jaiden's breathing quickened as the people around her stood up and Beca pulled her to her feet.

"No," Jaiden planted her feet and brought them both to a stop. "Beca, I'm sorry. Please just give me one more chance. I won't screw up anymore, I promise." Jaiden searched her sister's gaze for any ounce of pity, and briefly she found a flash of uncertainty.

"I can't," Beca sighed in frustration. "I can't risk it, Jay. You've been worrying us so much lately."

"I'm sorry. Please don't leave me here."

"Beca, as long as you feel that everyone involved is safe, the decision is entirely yours to make." Dr. Wilson reminded her. Chloe bit the inside of her cheek as she watched the wheels crank in her girlfriend's head.

"Beca, _please_." The small brunette didn't respond; too busy weighing her options to pay attention to Jaiden's pleas. She was completely stuck on the decision. Her temper may have gotten the best of her initially, but now admitting Jaiden was starting to seem like the best option for all of them. Beca didn't know whether leave or bring her home, or if she really was even capable of helping the younger girl anymore.

_**Should Beca leave or bring Jaiden home? Left it pretty open so you guys could get a feel of the situation and let me know what you'd like to see**_


	58. Chapter 58

"I want her admitted." Beca said finally. She kept her eyes locked on Jaiden's doctor; not wanting to see the look she was sure that the younger girl was giving her.

"No," Jaiden shook her head and looked over to Chloe even though she knew the redhead was just as powerless. Dr. Wilson sighed, but nodded and then glanced at her sympathetically.

"Okay then," She turned towards Jaiden now, hoping to calm the teenager down before there was a recreation of what had happened earlier that morning. "Jaiden, I'm going to take you up to Psych and help you get-"

"Beca, please don't do this. Please don't leave me here. I'm sorry. I'll do better." Jaiden begged suddenly. Beca pursed her lips as she felt her sister's hand on her arm, and she forced herself to pull it away.

"Come on," Dr. Wilson coaxed. She had one hand on her pager; prepared to call a code if the 18 year old got anymore worked up.

"Beca," Jaiden whimpered. She planted her feet firmly as Dr. Wilson tried to pull her away, and jumped as an observing nurse joined the situation and took her other arm.

"This is for your own good." Beca's voice was thick and she didn't look at the younger girl as she spoke. Chloe watched the entire situation in heartbroken silence.

"Alright, let's go. Someone will get you the paperwork in a second," Dr. Wilson briefly addressed Beca and then focused back on her increasingly hysterical patient. She and her nurse finally got Jaiden moving, and the party slowly started towards the elevator. The psychiatrist wanted nothing more than to get her admitted without having to use sedation. She kept a firm, but still gentle hold on Jaiden's arm, not wanting to trigger her, and used her free hand to guide the brunette's back.

"I love you. I'm sorry." Beca called halfheartedly. She felt Chloe's hand envelope her own and bit her bottom lip, trying not to cry. The two of them watched Jaiden as long as they could before she disappeared behind the sliding elevator doors.

"Beca?" Chloe tugged on her arm a bit. "Are you…are you okay?"

"No," The smaller girl grunted. "Nope."

"I'm so sorry." Chloe offered. Beca prickled as she put a hand on her back and brushed her off. She didn't want comforted right now. She wanted to be able to fix this and she couldn't and she couldn't shake the feeling that she was pushing Jaiden away after everything.

"Thank you," Chloe's voice pulled Beca out of her thoughts and she saw that a nurse had handed her a clipboard full of paperwork. A bit numb now, Beca allowed herself to be led into the waiting room and into one of the chairs. The nurse had marked each line that needed Beca's signature and Chloe pointed them out quietly; wanting to help the younger girl in any way she could.

"Did I just mess up? What if she's not alright up there? She's going to think I'm giving up on her-"

"Beca, this is the best thing you can do for her," Chloe interrupted firmly. "Let them take care of her and just look after yourself for once."

"But I'm _abandoning her_!" Beca snapped, earning herself a look from the night-shift nurse. The tiny brunette scribbled her last signature onto the agreements and stood up from her chair abruptly. Chloe followed Beca and winced as she slammed the clipboard down onto the front desk on her way out.

"Beca, stop. You aren't abandoning her. You're keeping her as safe as you can and that what's you promised her that you'd do." Chloe had grabbed Beca's arm and forced her to stop. Darker eyes found Chloe's blue ones and the redhead could see the pain that flashed through them. "This had to happen."

"I just…I should be the one keeping her safe. Not them. I should be enough." Beca's voice waivered and she shook her head. "Why am I never enough?"

"You are," Chloe assured her. "Beca, let's please just go home and we'll go to bed and we can talk in the morning." She cautiously reached forward and took Beca's keys from her; not wanting the upset girl to be driving. To her relief, Beca relented and started towards the car with her at a much more reasonable pace. She climbed silently into the passenger seat and put her seatbelt on as Chloe took her position beside her. Neither girl said anything as they pulled back out onto the freeway and headed towards the apartment.

"What are we going to do without her at home?" Beca mumbled finally; about 15 minutes into their drive. Chloe glanced at her briefly before sighing.

"I don't know. It's only temporary though. She can come home when she's ready."

"Do you think she's going to hate us?" Beca asked.

"Maybe for a little while. But you and I both know she loves you, and all of her hostility is going to be completely fear based."

"Yeah," Beca sighed as they pulled into the apartment's parking lot. After everything, she was emotionally and physically drained. Beca's legs felt like cinderblocks were attached to them as she stood and forced herself into the building. Chloe's hand soon found her's, as it had for the entire drive home, and she held Beca tightly the entire way up to their door. Still using Beca's keys, Chloe unlocked the apartment and led her inside, where the lights were still on from when they had left. Chloe hit them casually as she followed Beca to their bedroom and crawled into bed beside her. She could feel Beca's exhaustion in the way the brunette had sprawled out, and Chloe could only think to hold her tighter as they lay together in the darkness.

"This is all going to be okay, Beca. I love you." She whispered after a few minutes. The smaller girl didn't reply before she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"I shouldn't be here," Jaiden shook her head back and forth definitely as Dr. Wilson led her to her room. She was dressed in odd white scrubs, the apparent uniform for inpatient residents, and clutching a blanket to her chest. They had taken her phone upon admitting her and the dark haired girl was getting more and more panicked by the second. She jolted to a halt as her psychiatrist began to unlock a door and glanced around the empty hallway. The wing was quieter than she had expected it to be, even for 3:30 AM.

"Dr. Wilson, I need to go home. I'm not crazy; I don't need to-" Jaiden voice cut off as she was tugged into the room and met by a very scared and very familiar gaze. "Emily? W-what are you doing here?"

The slightly younger girl didn't reply; only stared at the gauze on her arms and then rolled over as Dr. Wilson turned on the lights above Jaiden's new bed.

"You two are both the newest patients for today, so you'll be sharing a room." Dr. Wilson half-explained. She gestured towards the bed nearest Jaiden and then dimmed the lights again. "Get some sleep. We'll have your treatment plan ready in the morning." The young woman prompted. Jaiden watched as she let herself out and shut the door behind her; no doubt telling the on-duty nurses to watch for escapes throughout the night. Still shaken up, Jaiden cautiously made her way over to her bed and climbed into it with her blanket. The 18 year old pulled the scratchy fabric up to her chin and rolled over to face the wall. The smell of anti-septic brought back a whirlwind of painful memories; all of them related to the recoveries from her step-father.

"My parents sent me," The voice from the other side of the room was so quiet, it was almost drowned out by the ticking of the clock on the wall. Jaiden perked up a bit and then rolled over to face her roommate's bed. "I screwed up."

"Same here," Jaiden huffed. "Except it was my sister instead of my parents."

"I don't want to be here." Emily whimpered. As fearful as Jaiden was, she knew her nerves didn't come close to what the other brunette was obviously feeling. There was a tremor in each word she spoke and Jaiden couldn't help but feel bad.

"Me neither." She said. A slight sigh sounded from Emily's bed and Jaiden shut her eyes; unable to offer any sign of comfort. She was nearly beside herself as well, but she just wasn't as bad at hiding it.

As Jaiden tried to fall asleep, she couldn't help replaying all of the stupid things she had done. Her mind was still clouded a bit from the alcohol, but she was sober enough to see now how idiotic she had been. Sneaking out had been bad enough, but coming home drunk seemed so immature. And if she had had any idea it would turn out like this, Jaiden would have settled for suffering with the nap-induced insomnia.

* * *

"'-M sorry…" Beca grunted. Chloe jolted awake, having just drifted off, and frowned down at the girl in her arms. Beca twisted slightly, obviously having some sort of vivid dream, and put her arm limply out in front of her. "I'm sorry!" That one came out a bit more clearly.

"Beca? Beca, wake up." Chloe kept her voice at a mind volume and she squeezed Beca's shoulders lightly.

"Jay, I'm sorry, just…_no!_" This time, Beca thrashed around and her fist nearly hit Chloe after a wild swing of the arm. The older girl sat up completely, now fully awake and alert, and she gripped Beca's arms before pushing them down to her sides. Awoken by the contact, Beca's eyes shot open and flitted around in a bit of a panic before finally locking on Chloe. The redhead let out a small sigh of relief and then squeezed Beca's arms comfortingly.

"It's okay," Chloe lay back down beside her and kissed her temple softly.

"I can't stop thinking about her. What if she's freaking out?" Beca mumbled tiredly.

"She'll be alright. Her doctor seemed really good." Chloe stroked Beca's side and willed the brunette to relax back against her, like she had been when they fell asleep.

"That paperwork said we can't visit for two weeks."

"I know," The older of the two sighed. "It's just so their program can work without too many distractions. Baby, please just go back to sleep."

"Okay. Sorry." Beca rolled over and buried her face into her girlfriend's chest. Though it didn't fix the sick feeling in her stomach, Chloe's hands at least warmed her up a bit. Fighting the worries that had plagued her dreams, Beca drifted back to sleep.

_**Thank you guys so much for the feedback! Let me know what you think and what you'd like to see next! **_


	59. Chapter 59

Apparently, sleeping in in the psych ward was not a thing. Jaiden was roused by a nurse at the ungodly hour of 7 AM, and the first thing she woke up to was a pounding headache and bout of nausea. The symptoms of her hangover immediately brought up the fuzzy memories of last night, and how she had ended up here. They didn't sit well with Jaiden.

"Do you need a bucket, honey? Are you going to be sick?" The nurse interrupted her thoughts and she glanced up at the woman before shaking her head. Jaiden ran a shaky hand back through her hair and was only completely pulled out of her head when she saw Emily getting out of bed across the room. The younger brunette look just as bad as she felt and her eyes remained locked on the floor as her nurse ushered her out of the room and into the hall.

"Where is she taking her?" Jaiden asked quietly.

"Bathroom run," The older lady grunted. A frown crossed Jaiden's face and she looked at the nurse skeptically.

"We can't use the bathrooms by ourselves?"

"Nope."

"What? Why?" Jaiden scoffed.

"You answer that." The woman's reply was gruff and Jaiden could tell immediately that this woman was not a fan of her job. The chill of the room got to her as she reluctantly crawled out of bed and Jaiden winced as the cold tile floor pressed against her feet.

"Well, where are we going?" Jaiden dared to speak again as she was led out into the hallway.

"You have an appointment with Dr. Wilson."

"Can I make a phone call?"

"No phone calls for new patients in the first week." The nurse grunted in response. Jaiden's eyes widened worriedly as she took in the information. The idea that she wasn't going to be able to even apologize to Beca scared her. After being in contact with her practically every day since she got to Barden, the idea of going back into completely isolation from her sister made her feel panicky.

"But, I really need to talk to my sister-"

"Too bad." The nurse cut her off. Jaiden let out an exasperated sigh as they stopped outside of Dr. Wilson's door. She felt like she was being treated as a complete child; something that had always left her frustrated and insulted. The older woman knocked on the door with a few short raps and then stepped back a bit when the door handle turned.

"Jaiden, hi," She greeted her warmly. The nurse gave her a light shove and Jaiden moved forward into the office. Her hands gripped anxiously at the sides of her white bottoms and she looked at Dr. Wilson once the older brunette had shut the door to the nicely furnished room.

"Why don't you have a seat?" The psychiatrist suggested, gesturing towards a stereotypical, but inviting leather chair. Jaiden sat down hesitantly and kept her eyes on Dr. Wilson as the woman walked around her desk and sat across from her.

"Can I call Beca?"She requested.

"Not right now, no. We need to talk about you." Dr. Wilson replied with a sympathetic look.

"I'll say anything you want, please just let me call her. Let me talk to her for five minutes." Jaiden's voice was absolutely desperate and Dr. Wilson knew they weren't going to be able to focus on anything until the matter was resolved. Sighing reluctantly, Dr. Wilson picked up her phone and held it just out of Jaiden's reach.

"Why do you need to talk to Beca?" She prompted. Jaiden was taken aback for a few seconds, before she suddenly realized that she was going to have to work for this. Staring at the device in Dr. Wilson's hand, she wracked her brain for something that the woman would want to hear.

"I don't know. I just…last night was so bad and I need to make sure that she doesn't hate me."

"See, that's probably your biggest problem right there," Dr. Wilson leaned back, still keeping the phone out of Jaiden's proximity. "You have false thoughts. Your automatic default is that everyone has a reason to hate you. We need to reroute your thinking patterns." She said wisely. Jaiden took a few seconds to let her words settle before nodding.

"Okay." Jaiden murmured. To her utmost relief, Dr. Wilson handed her the phone and slid its keypad over to her. The teenager's fingers shook as she dialed Beca's cellphone number as fast as she could and anticipated the ring. The hand she had used to dial came down to grip the device's spiraled cord and her leg began to bounce up and down at a rapid pace. When her sister's familiar voice filled the speaker, Jaiden sucked in a deep breath.

"_Hello? Dr. Wilson?"_

It took Jaiden a few seconds to find her voice. "No. No. It's me."

"_Jaiden?"_

"Yeah," The 18 responded shakily. "I..I'm sorry."

"_Are you okay? Nothing…nothing happened when they took you upstairs?"_

"No. I want to come home, Beca." Jaiden's voice cracked and she turned away from Dr. Wilson; not wanting the other woman to see the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes.

"_Jay, please don't. You're not okay."_

"I can't stay here Beca." Jaiden insisted. She wound the phone cord around her hand and clenched it shut.

"_I can't do this right now. I love you, kid. You know that. I need you to get better and then you can come right home. But today is not the day." _Beca paused; overwhelmed at how hard the words were to say. "_I'm going to put Chloe on for a little bit, okay?"_

"Okay," Jaiden mumbled. She heard a soft rustling on the other end of the line and then Chloe's voice filled the speaker.

"_Hey."_

"Hi."

"_You hanging in there? Do you want me to send anything up there to you?" _The redhead offered. Her voice was as kind as ever, and Jaiden's hand loosened a bit on the phone cord.

"Yeah, um, I guess."

"_Okay. I'm sure they'd be okay with some books and some clothes right?"_

"Probably."

"_I'll get on that tonight; I promise. We love you Jaiden," _Chloe's voice took on a more solemn tone and she sighed. "_You'll be home soon. I know you will. Just try your hardest to get past this. Will you do that?"_

"Yeah." Jaiden agreed.

"_Okay. Let me put Beca back on so you can say goodbye." _Once again, scuffling filled the speaker before the voice on the other end changed again.

"_Go easy on your doctors, okay? We'll be in to visit as soon as we're allowed."_

"That's not for two weeks though," Jaiden practically whimpered. She was getting scared all over again; after this she would have to wait six more days to talk to either one of them again. She was on her own for the rest of the week.

"_You can do it, Jay. I promise you can. I love you, okay? You know I mean that."_

"I love you too. I'm sorry." Jaiden felt the lump in her throat grow bigger as she attempted to swallow. "Promise you'll call at the end of the week."

"_I swear. Goodbye." _

"Bye." Jaiden let the phone fall from her ear and Dr. Wilson took it back when a soft buzzing sounded from its speaker; a sign of the connection's termination. "Is everything okay?" The psychiatrist questioned softly. Jaiden shook her head and collapsed backwards into the chair, fighting tears.

* * *

"She sounds so scared, Chlo." Beca's head rested in her hands on the kitchen counter.

"I'm sure she is. But she needs this to get better." Chloe reassured the younger girl. She glanced out the window at the sunlight that shimmered through and made her decision. "And you need to get better too. It's gorgeous out. Let's go to the park and take some pictures for your project."

"Babe, I really just don't feel like it."

"I know you don't, but you still have to do it. And we need to get your Zoloft prescription refilled today too." Chloe replied sternly. She wasn't about to let her girlfriend slip into a depressive fog; not if she could help it. Chloe was more than pleased when Beca got up from the bar stool and shot her a disgruntled look.

"Fine. I'll go get my camera." She relented. Chloe smiled a bit as the brunette shuffled out of the kitchen and down to their bedroom. She waited patiently for Beca to return, and when the small girl did, she couldn't help but grin. Dressed in an effortlessly thrown together outfit, complete with a loose fitting beanie to ward off the autumn chill, Beca fit the photographer stereotype perfectly.

"You look really cute." Chloe moved forward to press a chaste kiss to her lips, and the tiny smirk that Beca replied with sent butterflies through her stomach. That's all she wanted today; to make the younger girl smile every now and then.

"Let's just get going. Do you want to walk?" Beca asked. She slung the strap for her Canon around her neck and then kneeled down near the doorway to tie her boots.

"Yeah. It's gorgeous out." Chloe replied happily. Beca stood up and opened the door for her. As the two girls walked down the hallway together, Chloe couldn't help but notice Beca's hobbling had been reduced to a slight limp. She linked their arms together as they walked and stole a kiss on the cheek before Beca could protest. As they stepped out of the apartment building and into the golden autumn sunlight, Beca squinted for a few seconds in order to let her eyes adjust. It seemed to the young woman that fall had just suddenly appeared. She had been so enveloped in her life and the thoughts in her head that she hadn't even noticed the season changing.

"It's so pretty out today." Chloe spoke up as they strolled down the sidewalk. She wanted Beca to talk to her, just so that the brunette wouldn't get into her own head too much.

"Mmhmm." Beca grunted.

"Maybe we can go and get lunch after this? They just opened that new café right near the park."

"Okay. That'd actually be really nice." Beca nodded. They turned left at the corner of the sidewalk and continued to walk. It was only when Beca spotted a familiar tall figure that she paused. Chloe was jolted to a halt and she looked at Beca in confusion, and then followed her stare.

"I really want to say something." Beca growled. Her arm started to slip away from Chloe's and she grabbed it quickly.

"Baby, no. Don't get yourself worked up over her."

"I'm worked up over everything." Beca scoffed sarcastically. "But you and I know damn well she made things worse for Jaiden-"

"Exactly, and you can't fix that by starting a fight." Chloe reasoned. She felt the tension in Beca's body dissipate at her words. With a huff of frustration, Beca broke her gaze away from the oblivious woman across the street and started to walk again. Chloe switched her grip from Beca's arm to her hand; a bit proud of the younger girl was getting a hold on herself. Beca had a temper; that was no secret.

"What are we going to do about the Bella's? We're supposed to be the leaders and we haven't had rehearsal in forever. We're going to blow chunks at the finals." Beca said.

"The girls understand and it's probably a good thing that you and Stacie haven't been in the same room for a while. Also," Chloe paused and the way her voice rose in pitch on the last word made her sound nervous for what she was going to say next. "That's kind of the reason Aubrey is back in town. I called her in to stand in as a coach for us while you were recovering."

"You clever little shrew." Beca stared at her girlfriend in impressed disbelief. She always knew Chloe to be well prepared and responsible, but this was good even for her.

"Thank you? I think?" Chloe laughed. The two of them took another turn and the wall of trees that surrounded the park came into view. Their leaves were mostly a reddish-orange by this time in the year, and the light wind rustled through them noisily.

"I'm glad they'll at least have a chance to move onto the championship. I'm really sorry all of this shit has been keeping you from-"

"Beca, I loved the Bella's because I didn't have anyone else here. But now I have you, and your sister, and it's like we have a little family. I don't need anything else." Chloe cut her off and her words had a sharp impact on Beca. She knew damn well her girlfriend hadn't had a great family life growing up, especially after the situation with her brother. She and her parents had only grown more distant since she had gone off to Barden.

"Me neither." Beca said softly. She looked over at Chloe with a tiny smile and was surprised to see the redhead blushing for once. "Okay nerd, let's take some pictures." Beca squeezed her hand and pulled her into the small forest that was now in front of them. The two girls wove their way down the beaten trail and in between the trees, searching for a perfectly illuminated spot. Beca finally spotted a bit of an opening between the tightly clustered plants, and pulled Chloe over. Sun beams streamed down through the golden leaves and shone onto a cluster of large rocks. "This is perfect."

"What do I do?" Chloe looked to the smaller girl for direction.

"Just go walk around and be your pretty self." Beca encouraged her. The brunette raised her camera as Chloe let go of her hand and walked into the sunlight. Her red hair caught the light immediately and Beca snapped a few shots before Chloe her could turn around completely. Zooming in, she captured several close up's of her companion's eyes shimmering in the sun. Beca could tell already that she was going to absolutely nail this project.

_**I'm going to try to be incorporating more Bechloe into this story since you guys really seem to want some more of that. Any other requests/suggestions/feedback is/are welcome. Don't forget to review!**_


	60. Chapter 60

"Alright babe, I think I got what I need." Beca closed the viewing screen on her camera and let the device dangle against her abdomen from the strap around her neck. Chloe was perched on a decently sized boulder; posed just perfectly so that Beca could get a nice shot of her profile. The redhead hopped down gracefully and closed the distance between herself and Beca. The leaves crunched under her boots and she couldn't help but shiver a bit as a gust of cold wind breezed by.

"Let's go to that café. It's a perfect day for hot chocolate." Chloe tugged on her girlfriend's hand and the two began to make their way out of the park. They wound through the trees together, occasionally coming across a jogger or someone walking their dog. Chloe could see that Beca had brightened up significantly since they had left the apartment and made a conscious decision to get her out more. There seemed to be a lot of bad energy in the apartment as of late and Beca was always easily influenced by that. Almost as if she was reading Chloe's mind, Beca opened her mouth.

"Thanks for getting me out of the apartment. I needed this."

"You're welcome. I like seeing you do artsy stuff. It's hot." Chloe replied with a wink. The two girls made it out of the park and back onto the pavement a few seconds later. Spotting the newly opened café, Chloe pulled Beca across the street before the stoplight turned green again.

"Go grab us a table and I'll get our drinks." Beca gave Chloe a light shove away from her and went to get in line. The redhead hesitated for a second and Beca rolled her eyes.

"Extra marshmallows, I know."

"You're the best." Chloe grinned. The taller girl scampered off to find a table and Beca took to waiting impatiently in line. Something she always loved about Chloe was her ability to draw her out of her head. She made it easy for Beca to focus on the world around her instead of the one in her head.

"Miss? Are you ready to order?" Beca was pulled out of her musings by the girl behind the counter and she nodded apologetically.

"Yeah, could I get a large hot chocolate with extra marshmallows, and then a medium black coffee?"

"Cream or sugar?"

"No thanks." Beca declined.

"Alright, that's going to be 6.56."

"Here; keep the change." Beca handed the girl seven dollars and stepped aside to the waiting area. Ordering at restaurants or café's like this was always something that spiked her anxiety, just a little bit. Ever since she was little, she was always afraid of saying the wrong thing, or not having the right amount of money ready or God forbid her order would come out wrong and she'd have to fight with herself over whether or not she wanted to trouble the workers.

Luckily enough for Beca, the order came out right and she was on her way back to Chloe without feeling too shaken up. She knew damn well how stupid her worries were, and that was what was so frustrating about anxiety. Beca realized how small the things she got nervous about were, yet that didn't make them any less daunting.

Once she was back with Chloe, the residual anxiousness quickly faded away. And while Beca knew and told herself over and over again that people weren't medicine, she knew Chloe was as close as it gets. Give her a choice between a few pills or her girlfriend, and she would always choose the latter.

"Thank you." Chloe grinned as her Beca sat down across from her. She took her drink from the brunette and dared to sip at the piping hot beverage.

"No problem."

"So, how're you feeling?" Despite wanting to keep Beca from dwelling on last night, Chloe still wanted to talk about it with her. Beca had a tendency to internalize most of the things that were bothering her, and Chloe was smart enough to know that even though they were out of the apartment, Beca's mind was no doubt still going back to Jaiden.

"Still kind of guilty." Beca admitted. Chloe sighed in response and took her hand across the table.

"You know you did the right thing. You would have never forgiven yourself if something would have happened to her." The redhead reminded her.

"I know, I know. I just don't like not having access to her. I spent years like that."

"I don't think she's mad at you though. I mean, she somehow managed to call you even though she wasn't allowed."

"Yeah, Dr. Wilson is a pushover when it comes to her." Beca half smiled, then let out a slow sigh. "She didn't even sound like herself on the phone."

"Well, I'm sure she's scared. Hospitals aren't exactly the most welcoming environment and I don't think she expected to end up there at all." Chloe reasoned. "She'll calm down after a few days. And maybe she'll meet kids who are going through the same thing as her. That could help."

"As long as no one has a bad influence on her…"

"Becs, come on. Most of the patients in there are probably really good kids, just like Jaiden." Chloe assured her.

"I hope so."

"Alright, subject change. Do you want to start going to Bella's rehearsals again?" Chloe asked.

"Oh," Beca frowned at the sudden question. "Well, I guess we can now, right?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm sure they're fine without us, especially with Aubrey there. I just know that you love music."

"They're just going to ask so many questions about what happened. But I'll send a mix into Aubrey so she doesn't have to worry about composing too," Beca paused, considering the other girl. "Unless you really want back into it?"

"Nope," Chloe shook her head. "I told you I'm fine. I just don't want the other girls to think we, you know, abandoned them."

"I'm sure they don't. Stacie's probably told them a lot of what happened anyways." Chloe said. The two girls sat in silence for a few minutes; drinking their drinks and enjoying each other's company.

"I will never be able to thank you for sticking with us through all this." Beca said softly. Her girlfriend looked away from the window and her blue eyes softened. "Every time something happens, part of me just expects you to pack your bags and get the hell out of this shit show. But you stay, every time."

"Of course I stay. I love you. I'm not going anywhere, Beca. I don't know about you, but I plan on spending the rest of my life with you." Chloe told her. The redhead's grip tightened on her hand and Beca squeezed it back.

"I plan on that too."

* * *

"Can we _please _be done?" Jaiden leaned against the back of her chair in frustration and closed her eyes. She had been sitting across from Dr. Wilson for an entire hour and a half, going over every shitty thing she could remember about growing up with her mother and Ted after she separated from her father. They talked about her school and her friends and even Cici, which was less than easy to bring up, and she was far too exhausted for it only being 9:40 in the morning.

"Jaiden, you know you're going to need to put in a lot of work if you want to get well enough to leave here."

"I know," Jaiden said defensively. "Can I ask a question?"

"Of course." Dr. Wilson nodded.

"Why's Emily here? Her parents didn't send her here because of yesterday morning, did they?"

"You know I can't discuss other patients' reasons for admittance," Dr. Wilson sighed. "But no, they didn't send her here because of that. Emily got herself here, just like you did."

"She cuts, doesn't she?" Dr. Wilson gave her a surprised look and Jaiden rolled her eyes. "Please, it wasn't that hard to guess."

"I'm not going to answer that. You want to get to know some of the other patients, ask them yourself." The older woman told her.

"Fair enough. So what's the rest of my treatment?" The last word rolled off of Jaiden's tongue with a bit of sarcasm and Dr. Wilson pursed her lips. Although she liked Jaiden, she knew that she was going to be a difficult patient. Her willingness to get better wouldn't mask her obvious pride.

"Well, you're going to come see me every morning. Then you have a group session, _not_ with David," She clarified before Jaiden could protest. "Then you'll have some free time. There's living space in the ward that a lot of the girls like to hang out in. We'll administer your meds before quiet hours."

"And that's every day?" Jaiden winced.

"Yes ma'am."

"Jesus Christ." The teenager slumped down in her chair and she rubbed her temples.

_**More Bechloe on the way! Let me know what you'd like to see and thanks in advance for reading and reviewing!**_


	61. Chapter 61

"Jaiden? Someone dropped off a bag for you." Jaiden sat up in her bed, where she had been watching the small television on the wall. She and Emily's nurse stood in the doorway to their room, holding up the duffel bag she had moved to Barden with.

"Oh," The 18 year old got to her feet and took her bag from the woman. Jaiden had been struggling just to stay awake after the long day she had endured, but this was enough to at least intrigue her enough to keep from vegging out again. She could feel Emily's eyes on her as she returned to her bed and sat cross legged next to her bag. The first thing she pulled out when she unzipped it was a piece of paper with Chloe's handwriting scrawled all over it.

_Figured you could use some clothes and stuff to keep you from getting too bored! Stay strong in there and you'll be home soon. Love you!_

"Is that from your sister?" Emily's voice caught Jaiden before she could roll her eyes and the older girl looked up from her note.

"Actually, her girlfriend. It's just clothes and stuff." Jaiden shook her head and rooted through the duffel bag. Her hands found one of her sweatshirts and she pulled it on gratefully. She had been freezing since they had gotten to the hospital and the thin blanket on the bed didn't do much to help.

"You didn't bring any when you got here?"

"They didn't give me much notice that I was getting dumped in this place." Jaiden grunted. She pushed the small stack of clothes out of the way and was surprised to find an old iPod Nano wrapped in a pair of headphones. She knew at once that Beca had been the one to put it in there. "Well, I guess some of it is from my sister."

"More music?" Emily asked timidly.

"Yeah. Here," Jaiden tossed the device across the room and over onto her bed. "I've probably heard everything already."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Your stress is stressing me out. Chill for a second." Jaiden smirked. She looked up again to see that the younger girl had definitely taken it the wrong way and sighed. "Sorry. My sister has anxiety. I shouldn't have been so insensitive."

"H-how did you know I have anxiety?"

"You don't hide it that well." Jaiden informed her gently. She watched her roommate blush and immediately felt bad. "But like, I pick up on it because I see my sister's symptoms all the time. And either way, everyone's a little jumpy here."

"So…what brought you here?" Jaiden looked up from her bag in surprise again and quit rooting through it. She was tired of talking about her issues, considering that's all she had done in the past 12 hours, but it was pretty obvious that Emily was fragile and probably just looking for a distraction.

"I said some stupid stuff and did some stupid things last night and I guess it made my sister think I was going to try to kill myself." Jaiden admitted. She pulled the last pair of sweatpants out of the bag and surprisingly found a picture at the bottom. Upon picking it up, she realized it was the one Beca had put in a frame on the mantle when they had moved in. Christmas, 2004; both of them were grinning under the tree in their matching snowflake pajamas.

"Jaiden?" She snapped out of staring at the photo and blinked at Emily in surprise a few times.

"Hmm?"

"I asked if you were going to…"

"Oh," Jaiden shook her head again. "No. Not last night anyways. I just snuck out and got drunk and she caught me when I came home. What about you?" She ventured. Emily froze up right away.

"Come on dude, you can't avoid it in here. That's kind of the whole point. And I personally think I'm easier to talk to than those assholes, so…" Jaiden let her voice trail off and arched an eyebrow. Emily shot a glance towards the mandatory open door and then crossed the distance between their beds. Jaiden moved over, a bit taken aback by the sudden intrusion into her personal space.

"I cut myself." Emily's voice was so low that Jaiden almost didn't hear her. And although she wasn't surprised in the least, Jaiden still felt the weight of the admission.

"You should really try to stop that. I've heard it isn't good for you." Jaiden told her with a wry smile. To her relief, Emily looked a little bit relieved.

"Okay. You should really try to stay alive though. I've heard dying is bad for you." The 17 year old ventured.

"Deal."

* * *

"I hope she's getting enough sleep there." Beca muttered as she scanned the paragraphs on her computer screen. "Do you think they monitor that?"

"I imagine they monitor just about everything." Chloe flipped the page in her magazine and resumed reading. The two of them had climbed into bed early that night, after a relaxing shower and take out on the couch.

"I hope so."

"Babe, come on, you had a good day. Don't ruin it by stressing out about her. She's in the safest place she can be." Chloe sighed. She reached across and closed Beca's laptop before the younger girl would work herself up anymore.

"Hey, I need to be educated about this stuff." Beca complained.

"You already are. What you _need _to do is let me help you relax and go to sleep." Chloe got up onto her knees and cracked her knuckles. "Roll over."

"I don't need a massage-"

"Yes you do." Chloe flipped the smaller girl onto her back and straddled her from behind. Beca gave in and crossed her arms under her chin. Satisfied, Chloe began to rub her shoulders firmly; feeling Beca relax under her touch. "Trust me when I tell you that everything is going to work out."

"You can't know that."

"Yes I can. The worst of this is over, Becs. It has to be." Chloe dug her hands into Beca's back harder and moved her thumbs in circles on either side of her spine.

"I hope you're right."

* * *

Mrs. Mitchell was not doing well; not by any means. The bills piled up along with the bottles, and more and more came in with her name on them every day. Some from Ted's lawyer, other's for the house, and a lot more from his funeral. She had put an ad for her truck on Craigslist, along with the few sellable items in her daughters' old rooms.

She had begun to dwell on her daughters again; specifically Beca. The police report had stated that she was the one who had pulled the trigger that had ended her love's life. And there had been no consequences for it. She had tried calling Jaiden a few times earlier, but she hadn't gotten an answer. Not that she was particularly concerned about her; she really just wanted an idea of their whereabouts.

"Murdering a man with _no_ consequences." The middle aged woman mumbled to herself as she stumbled into the kitchen. The idea sounded even more absurd when she said it out loud. As Mrs. Mitchell filled her glass with fresh ice from the freezer, she glared at the old photographs stuck to the fridge. Ted had been right when he pressured her not to ask for custody. Back then, it had been more about sticking it to her ex-husband.

So Mrs. Mitchell was caught between blaming herself and blaming the girls. While the first option seemed more reasonable, the latter was far easier. It allowed her to sit and swelter in her anger, all the while getting drunk enough to keep her stationary on the couch. But it didn't stop her from scheming.

_More drama ahead? Maybe, maybe not._


	62. Chapter 62

_**Okay guys, so this is where I'm going to stop the story. Views have really gone done and I think you all probably have lost interest because it's dragging on. I may do a sequel someday about Jaiden and Beca after the treatment center, but for now I think the story is done. Thanks for reading!**_


	63. Chapter 63

**_Sequel is up under the name It Takes Two. Felt pretty bad for ditching you guys so I'll do my best to keep the story going. Thanks for the support._**


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